Christchurch night owls with a charitable streak are being asked to donate their time to protect the Pallet Pavilion.

The outdoor venue, made up of more than 3000 recycled wooden pallets, needs late-night volunteers to monitor the site against vandalism.

The Gap Filler initiative, on the corner of Kilmore and Durham streets, opened in December, but the cost of security is a problem.

Gap Filler co-ordinator Coralie Winn said the group had agreed to ensure the pavilion was monitored 24 hours a day after the Fire Service expressed concerns that it could be an arson target.

The organisation had hired a security company to guard the site late at night.

While it had received a discount from the security company, the $1400 weekly bill was still difficult to fund.

"It does make it hard because so much of our funding has to go into security, so other projects will have to be on a smaller scale and a more manageable budget," Winn said.

She said Gap Filler was looking for volunteers who could monitor the pavilion between 11.30pm and 7am from Sunday to Wednesday, with the possibility of splitting each night into two shifts.

Volunteers could use the free wireless internet and power on site, while the Gap Filler office was also available for nights with bad weather.

A security guard would be kept on-site for "party nights" in case there were problems from drunk people, she said.

Potential volunteers can email fillthegap@gapfiller.org.nz for more information.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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