Sally Whitewoods The organisers of the revived Gay Ski Week say the event will return to Queenstown in August and September, and this time around they want to give something back to the community. The Southern Hemisphere’s largest Winter Pride event will held in Queenstown from August 31 to September 8 2013, after it was brought back to life by couple Sally and Mandy Whitewoods. They have announced they will donate six per cent of the accommodation revenue from bookings at Novotel Queenstown to the New Zealand AIDS Foundation. The couple said they wanted to "give back" to the gay and lesbian community and support the national charity which works to eradicate HIV and AIDS and provides assistance for people living with HIV and their families. "We’re highly appreciative of the continuous support we get from people who attend the event, our sponsors and Queenstown business partners," Sally Whitewoods says. "We thoroughly enjoy organizing the event and bringing the gay and lesbian community together for a week of skiing and fun. This year we wanted to help the NZAF promote their cause and encourage anyone attending this year’s event to book their accommodation at the Novotel to support this amazing charity." NZAF Executive Director Shaun Robinson said the organisation is extremely thankful to Sally and Mandy for recognising and supporting the NZAF. "It’s such a wonderfully generous thing for them to do. Gay and bi guys are overwhelmingly affected by HIV in New Zealand and much of the NZAF’s work focuses on HIV prevention and support for this group. To be recognised in this way by such a key rainbow event as Gay Ski Week is a real testament to the spirit of the rainbow community in this country and the collective determination to see an end to our HIV epidemic.” The programme kicks off with the Opening Party on Saturday August 31st where guests will enjoy a celebratory glass of Veuve Clicquot before hitting the hottest night spots of Queenstown. Other highlight events include ‘Bingay’, a take on traditional bingo at the Ballarat Trading Company, and the must-do Casino Royale night at Skyline Gondola. Full programme details and accommodation bookings are available at www.gayskiweekqt.com. Tickets go on sale on February 1 2013.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 31st January 2013 - 2:33pm