Clive Wentworth....

Clive Wentworth is what you could call a real kiwi battler!

He sits in a tidy and function office and talks about how

he started off as a one-man band going around car yards grooming cars

and then in the last four years has grown his business 

with a large premises and ten staff.

When you talk to Clive about his business,

he doesn't talk about making money, he talks about paying it forward.

It gives him real joy to be able to help out others

because of the opportunities running his own business gives him.

His chosen charity is Ronald McDonald house

who he has been supporting both with time and with finances for three years.

Clive talks about how you can think you are having a bad day,

but then you go to Ronald McDonald house and see people who are still smiling

even though they are going through the toughest of times.

He said it really puts it in perspective.

Doing fight for Christchurch has been an opportunity to do something for himself

as well, to finally do some training and to get fit

all in the name of a very good cause!!!

You get the feeling that not only is Clive going to keep right on

supporting Ronald McDonald house,

but he is going to keep right on keeping fit too.

Go Clive Go!!!

You can support Clive's Givealittle page here

and you can still buy tickets to the Fight for Christchurch event here.

Darren @Chillingsworth Road....

Darren Wright is Chef at Chillingworth Road,

a very smart restaurant tucked away in an inauspicious shopping complex

on Cranford Street.

He is a competitive and highly motivated man

who somehow manages to juggle a lot of different roles

and makes it look easy!

He loves to cook and is vice-captain of the New Zealand Culinary Team

which is like the culinary version of the Olympics.

He enjoys the challenge of cooking under pressure

and producing delicious and striking food.

He loves his family and spends as much time as possible with them,

encouraging them in their sports and other interests.

Darren is super fit and loves to push his body to the limits,

more recently in mountain biking

doing tracks like the Heaphy Track on his mountain bike.

His motivation for fundraising is his wee mate Lockie

who bravely fought a five year battle with cancer

(and sadly lost). Darren is fighting for Lockie on the 22nd

and for Cure Kids, an organisation that takes on the fight for sick kids.

It does seem like Darren is going to be a hard man to beat!

Don't be fooled by the smile, this is one competitive chap.

You can support him on his Givealittle page here

and don't forget to buy your Fight tickets here.

Meet Ashley Newsome...

Ashley is the kind of guy to likes to collect people around him,

it's not enough to just sit down for a bbq, you gotta have everyone there!

You know the kind of guy....

the guy who is always trying new things

and wants you to try them too!

Ashley goes full tilt at life and wants those around him to do that too,

plus, he wants us all to have fun while we are doing it.

That kind of guy. Ashley Awesome.

By day he works at Media Works finding solutions for businesses,

working to their strengths and promoting the excellent bits.

He works in a fun, friendly environment which he enjoys.

He loves being part of a team.

Ashley's family and his three sons are is his priority 

and they spend a lot of time doing things together.

They love the outdoors and are fully into all the things that

boys can enjoy together (with all the toys!)

Ashley has chosen Cure Kids as his charity.

He's involved in coaching of sports teams and sees firsthand

how stress can effect the whole family.

He likes the way that Cure Kids are open to helping anyone.

The training is going well and he is looking forward to meeting his opponent

on 22 November. It's going to be a good night!

Don't forget to support his Givealittle page here

and buy your tickets here.

Lisa Mead: The Accountant versus the Lawyer!

Lisa Mead might be going to knock out her opponent

 but she has the warmest heart!

She knows first hand what it means to have to push through the hard times,

to get back up when life knocks you down and just keep on going.

Lisa is committed to fundraise for her charity, Ronald McDonald House

because she believes that families need support through the grim times.

Lisa works for KPMG, a large, successful accounting company in Christchurch.

Even in her work place Lisa finds practical ways to help others.

At KPMG they believe in Corporate Social Responsibility

and last year raised thousands of dollars in an in-house charity event.

Lisa would not have been able to participate in this year's event

without the support of her colleagues at KPMG.

In her private life, Lisa loves her five year old son

and they spend a lot of time doing things together.

Lisa works full time, studies and is a busy mum

but even so, her training is going well.

Having seen her sparring at training the other night,

all you can say to her opponent, is be afraid!

Lisa is going to be a tough one to beat.

You can support Lisa by visiting her GiveaLittle page here.

Jono Gallacher

Jono Gallacher is looking forward his Fight for Christchurch challenge.

A fit, healthy guy who loves to get stuck in to what ever he is doing,

he talked about talking on his opponent with enthusiasm.

Jono is a guy whose passion is to be creative (he works at Adgraphix),

he loves to construct things... it seems no project is too big.

He's taken on landscaping, welding, making furniture and sculpture 

to name a few things.

He lives for his three kids and is involved in rugby and softball.

Needless to say for a guy like Jono, his training is going well!

He loves the concept of "ordinary people having a crack"

and has lots of support in his fundraising efforts for Cure Kids.

He chose Cure Kids because he understands as a parent how

if a child is suffering it effects the whole family.

Jono is a genuinely nice guy with a great sense of humour.

He really is one of the good guys, an ordinary guy having a crack at it himself.

You can support Jono at his GiveaLittle page here.

Don't forget to get your tickets for the Event here.

Battle of the Media Giants....

Jono Huntley is a man not afraid to stare down a challenge.

He wanted to participate in Fight for Christchurch when it first begun,

but first he had to do battle with Cancer.

Now two years cancer free, he is ready to take on another challenge,

he is going to fight Paul Frewen from Vodofone in November

in an epic battle of the media giants: Spark versus Vodofone!!

Jono is a friendly man who is passionate about his family,

in fact you say that he lives for them.

He also love working for Spark, being part of a team

is hugely important to him.

He likes to win, but he likes to give back too.

Since experiencing cancer, he has been volunteering with Canteen

and is inspired by how resilient the kids are when facing adversity.

His chosen charity is Ronald McDonald House

because he understands how important it is for families to be together

when they are going through traumatic times.

He has lots of plans for fundraising and is excited to have

his colleagues at Spark support him.

Don't forget to show your support to Jono by donating at his givealittle page here.

Larger than life - Geoff and Chris...

Chris Casserley and Geoff Cavell have signed up to beat the s*** out of each other come November. However any aggression between these two begins and ends there! The best of mates, these two are both big men with even bigger hearts. The loveliest of guys, both of them have lived through the toughest of times but they talk about their experiences with humour and humility. Both of them have faced challenges in their private and public lives that are staggering. Geoff lost his business in the earthquakes, twice; and Chris lost his in a devastating fire.

Getting them to talk was easy, they could probably talk for hours about their dreams and ambitions. They are passionate about the hospitality industry, and deeply involved in every aspect of it. They love the people, the stories and the sense of community they are able to build while doing something that they love.

Funny enough, the Fight for Christchurch is a chance for these two to find some balance in their lives, to get some exercise, lose some weight and to refocus on what is important. Chris and Geoff are both training 5-6 days a week, no slacking about!

However getting fit is only a part of their motivation. Both of them are absolutely passionate about raising funds for Cure Kids. Their Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BEHAG) is to raise an eye-watering $100,000 for cure kids, yes that is not a typo, they fully plan to raise One Hundred Thousand Dollars for Cure Kids.

If you pop over to Facebook and like their page, Battle of the Century, you will be able to keep up with their fundraising plans. They are planning a masquerade ball at the Grand Cafe on 11 October and a music gig at Winnie Bagoes on 7 November. Other events including a massive auction are also planned for 15 November.

Chris and Geoff are excited about giving back and they are fully committed to this adventure. You can help them reach their BEHAG by clicking on their givealittle page to make a donation. The gala event that is Fight for Christchurch is really not to be missed, don't forget to get your tickets here and support these two big hearted men.

Introducing.... Lana McCarroll

Lana is a fun bubbly person with a big smile and sparkly eyes.

She doesn't look nearly old enough to have kids, let alone parent five of them!!

Definitely a super woman but with her feet firmly on the ground;

she works full time, runs a household and coaches marching in her spare time.

Lana is one of those people that don't really like talking about themselves,

but she is going to have to get used to it

because she has signed up to box in the next Fight for Christchurch.

She describes the opportunity as "the chance of a lifetime"

and simply buzzes with excitement when she talks about it.

When I asked her about her motivation to do this,

she talked passionately about the chance to fund raise for a cause

close to her heart. As a parent, she can only imagine having a child seriously ill

and is pleased to be able to commit to raising funds for Ronald McDonald house.

Lana works at Lane Neave Lawyers doing property transactions.

She loves doing a job where you get to help people

find their way smoothly through one of the biggest transactions of their lives

and enjoys being able to work towards making this as smooth 

as possible for them.

Lana enjoys having fun and being in the great outdoors.

(She's planning on getting married next year in Arthurs Pass)

but in the meantime she is at the gym everyday in her lunch break

getting read for the fight of her life!

To support Lana's fundraising effort, go to her

givealittle page and make a donation.

Behind the scenes [Justin Wallace]

Putting together an event like Fight for Christchurch takes a lot of commitment and passion. If you get a chance to talk to Justin, you find a guy who loves to orchestrate an event.  It might sound like a cliche, but you will find a humble man who dreams big dreams. Managing events runs in Justin's blood and he has been dreaming up ideas and running with them since he was a teenager.

Justin started running boxing events from Cowles Stadium in 2010. At a low point in his life, he saw an opportunity and decided take a risk and run with it. It was a tremendous challenge to sell the idea to the people of Christchurch, but Justin was determined and with the support of his family he managed to get sponsors and boxers on board. 

The events that Justin organises have gained momentum over the last five years. In a city that has lost so much to the earthquakes, it has become even more important to the citizens of Christchurch to be able to go out and partake of a glamorous event.  Justin makes sure that all the little details add up to create an atmosphere and the wow factor that mark the Fight for Christchurch and the Battle of the Rebuild boxing events. 

Passionate about boxing and Rugby league, Justin can talk for hours about the sport he loves. His office space is cluttered with sporting artifacts. It is no accident that Justin runs sporting events, it combines his two loves: sports and event management!

Since the very first event in April 2010 the events have helped raise $819,597.00 for the Christchurch community. This incredible achievement has been driven by one man but supported by the community. Justin's drive and passion has enabled him to give a voice to others. By getting ordinary every day people the opportunity to train, fundraise and fight, they find within themselves strength they didn't know they had. The chance to box in a Fight for Christchurch, or Battle of the Rebuild event is life changing.

Justin has big dreams for sporting events in Christchurch. Get him talking about it and his eyes sparkle! Seeing as he has achieved so much in such a short time, it is entirely probable that his dreams will come true. This is great news for Christchurch as we head into the biggest rebuild that New Zealand has seen, it is events like this that add heart to the community and some much needed pizzazz to a city that definitely needs it.

The next Fight for Christchurch event is on 22 November and preparation is well underway for this. Keep an eye on our Facebook page, follow us on Instagram and read this blog to continue following the developments.

Hello and Welcome

Welcome to the Enth Degree blog. 

Enth Degree is an event company and the company behind the successful Fight for Christchurch and Battle of the Rebuild Charity Boxing Events. Established in 2010 it had the goal to bring a high quality boxing events targeted at the Corporate market to Christchurch. The company had its first event the Fight for Youth Charity Boxing Event in April 2010 and from that point on has had explosive growth and a strong reputation for putting on top class night of entertainment and boxing action.

Yes boxing is the main event but that is only part of the show. We put on events that entertain. From the moment our guest arrive they know they at something special with the element of a surprise. 

Here on the blog we plan to tell you the stories behind the people involved, giving you a glimpse into their day jobs, their every day lives and their inspirations.