Bidr Auction

An online charity auction with a strong Jersey theme raised
more than $20,000 for Cystic Fibrosis NZ recently.

Initiated by Josh and Kareena Sneddon of Tahau Jerseys, the
auction ran on bidr® on 21 June. Featuring 46 lots with a mix
of live animals and semen straws on offer, alongside sundry
donated goods ranging from a day of digger hire to stays in
four and five star luxury apartments, the auction attracted 79
registered buyers, with more than 120 other online followers.
Now nearly two, Natalie Sneddon was diagnosed with cystic
fibrosis at 10 days old following the heel prick test given to
newborns. Her mother Kareena says the charity has made the
family’s life easier.

“Giving back was something we really wanted to do.
“We had some surplus calves and wanted to donate them.
It started small, kept blossoming and we were overwhelmed
by the support the auction eventually received. Natalie has
benefited from Cystic Fibrosis NZ on several occasions,
including through its Breath4CF fund, which helps fund
anything to do with physical activity for those suffering the
illness. We used it for a baby exerciser before she was walking,
and more recently bought an indoor trampoline. With the
condition it is important to be able to keep moving, which she
loves to do, and which stops mucus settling in her lungs, so
the fund has helped hugely with that,” she says.

Laura Huet is fundraising and marketing manager for Cystic
Fibrosis NZ. She said it was wonderful to see rural people and
the wider cystic fibrosis community come together online.
“These funds will make a big difference to the day to day
lives of plenty of people. Exercise is one of the best ways to
manage cystic fibrosis, so being able to pay for the likes
of swimming lessons, or to buy a pair of running shoes,
which the fund does, helps ensure the cost of exercise is
never a barrier to staying active.

“Because people with cystic fibrosis are not able to
meet face to face due to the risk of infection, much of
our activity is online, which meant bidr® was a really
awesome platform, and easy to use in this way. Running
a fund-raising event in person can be challenging
at the best of times, and when you have restrictions
around meeting face to face it becomes even more
so. Bringing people together online for the auction
worked so powerfully. On the night it was incredible
watching those auction lots sell so well. We were very
impressed,” she says.

Acting general manager of bidr® Liam Beattie says New
Zealand’s virtual saleyard was delighted to help.
“Helping people like the Sneddon family and Cystic
Fibrosis NZ is enormously rewarding, and something
we are thrilled bidr® can do. In addition to operating
76 sales between mid-May and early July, bidr® has
hosted several charity auctions recently, assisting a
wide range of causes from search and rescue to youth
organisations.”

Article provided by Bidr