Sleeping out in solidarity with homeless
OVER 70 people have so far registered to take part in an event this weekend that will see members of the local community forsake the comfort of their beds to instead spend the night sleeping rough outdoors in Pearse Park in Tralee, all to help the homeless services in Kerry.
Taking place this coming weekend on Saturday September 10 from 6pm to 6am, all proceeds from the event will go towards helping the work of the Arlington Lodge shelter in Tralee and will help to renovate a number of apartments throughout Kerry, for future use in helping disabled service users.
Marion Coffey, Julie Fitzpatrick, Charlene Tydings and Marilyn O’ Shea are all founders and organisers of the ‘Under the Elements’ event and they are encouraging as many people as possible to come down on the night to show their support by registering, even if they don’t intend to sleep out.
“People come up to me and say that ‘why are you even doing this sleep out? We don’t even have homeless people here in Kerry’ and it’s because of the work of places like Arlington Lodge that our homeless are not visible. These services need to be highlighted and recognised,” said Marion.
“Even if you don’t want to do the sleep out, come down and support us with a donation; everything, no matter how small, helps in some way,” said Marilyn, who works as a project manager in Tralee’s Arlington Lodge shelter.
There are many more expected to register on the night itself, with food and drink set to be provided by a number of local businesses, including Quinlan’s Fish and Chips and Ger Husseys.
Tickets are €10 for an adult and €5 for a child, with many more people expected to register on the night itself.