Sharon Shobha Devi Lingham (Sharon Lingham) (11 December 1956 – 8 March 2010) (née Verma) was a New Zealand

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Life and career

She was born to a

Rajasthani Rajasthani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Rajasthan, a state of India * Rajasthani languages, a group of languages spoken there * Rajasthani people, the native inhabitants of the region * Rajasthani architecture * Rajasthani art ...

Arya Samaj Arya Samaj ( hi, आर्य समाज, lit=Noble Society, ) is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The samaj was founded by the sanny ...

Indian family, before moving to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

to settle. She was a well-known personality in the

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

region of New Zealand, being involved in local media television stations (including CTV), and also as a celebrity ambassador, with her well-known website, www.sharonlingham.com. She was also the supporter of many local

charities A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

, including the

Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind or Blind Foundation, now publicly branded as Blind Low Vision NZ, is a provider of services to blind, deafblind and people with vision-impairment in New Zealand. History The Foundation began in 189 ...

KidsCan The KidsCan Charitable Trust (trading as KidsCan) is a New Zealand based charitable trust. It was founded in 2005 in Greenhithe, New Zealand, Greenhithe, Auckland, New Zealand by Julie Chapman and works to help address Child poverty in New Zeala ...

and

Ronald McDonald House Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. RMHC has a global network of c ...

. In 2006 she organised a global wedding extravaganza in Victoria Square as a fundraiser for

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...

. Her Global Extravaganza in 2008 and 2009 in Victoria Square in Christchurch also attracted many people, and brought people of different ethnicities together. She also ran for the

Christchurch City Council The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, who ...

Hagley-Ferrymead and Shirley-Papanui

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

. Lingham was variously known as the "Fuchsia Queen" through her business Canterbury Fuchsia Centre, and later known as the "Limousine Queen", through her business Crown Limousines NZ Ltd, which provided luxury transport for the many celebrities that came into the region.

Death

Lingham died of a

subarachnoid haemorrhage Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is bleeding Bleeding, hemorrhage, haemorrhage or blood loss, is blood escaping from the circulatory system from damaged blood vessels. Bleeding can occur internally, or externally either through a natural openi ...

on 8 March 2010.

References

External links

Official websiteCrownlimousines.comLocallyinformed.co.nzFindarticles.comWiftnz.org.nzChristchurchmusic.org.nz/ Satyavidya.comArogayurvedichealth.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lingham, Sharon Shobha Devi 1956 births 2010 deaths New Zealand television personalities New Zealand women in business