By Kate Rodger
This time tomorrow telethon organisers will be counting down the minutes to the Big Night In, 23 hours of non-stop television to raise money for the KidsCan charity.
Auckland’s Viaduct will play host to a stage packed with live music from the likes of Opshop, Gin Wigmore and Scribe.
The fundraising is already well underway. The cast of the Starlight Express got their skates on, hitting up punters for telethon donations as they left the show.
Heading south the St James hosts the Wellington celebrations, and the capital has been getting into the telethon spirit all week.
The RNZAF roped in passersby for some hard physical training in Civic Square – taking coins as they did it.
“I think people are getting into it because they realise there is a need and that is why we’re doing it, to show there is a real need,” says Big Night In organiser Nigel Godfrey.
“You will get to see why we put this whole broadcast together and that is why we’re seeing people mobilising – plus the fact that everybody’s got a great memory of telethon.”
Christchurch’s Whitebait Studios is the Mainland’s telethon central, where local bands The Dukes and The Valves will play live. There will be live broadcasts from Invercargill, then north to New Plymouth and Whangerei.
It has been over 15 years since the last telethon and Big Night In organisers were keen to freshen up the broadcast for today’s audiences.
“We needed to move it on, we looked at the UK models and they were all about entertaining, saying thanks very much for donating – here is some great telly, and that is what we’re endeavouring to do,” says Mr Godfrey.
You can visit the Big Night In website
here.
3 News