The Southland Charity Hospital is $20,000 better off thanks to a donation from the Ohai Nightcaps Lions Club.

The donation was made to Melissa Vining and Hospital Trustee Chris Menzies at a public meeting held in the Nightcaps Town Hall on Monday (3rd October).

Both Vining and Menzies updated the meeting on the progress of the charity hospital.

Vining also shared her personal journey of her late husband Blair’s illness and the need for a Charity Hospital in Southland.

Club president David Squire said the money was raised through various projects operated by the club, including ongoing firewood sales and the annual Gowan Hill Classic and Mt Linton Muster Mountain Bike / Run / Walk event.

The donation will go towards the completion and ongoing running costs of the hospital, he said.

The Ohai/Nightcaps Lions Club is a Western Southland service club serving Ohai, Nightcaps, Wairio and the surrounding rural areas.

It has had a long history of supporting health initiatives in the community since the inception in 1968.

These have included a telephone appeal in 1982 which raised $20,000 towards the cost of having a local doctor. In 1988, the club operated gaming machines in the local hotels which helped fund hepatitis B vaccinations for all district residents.