Tony will brace the chill for homeless
School team set for Sleep in the Park fundraiser
Kind- hearted staff and pupils from a Paisley school are bracing themselves to sleep outside and do their bit for homeless people this winter.
Teachers Tony Dowling and John O’Brian will be joined by 16-yearold pupil Liam Parfary for Sleep in the Park.
This is a mass sleep out that takes place in Edinburgh.
The trio, from Mirren Park School, are gearing up for the event by raising as much money as possible for the charity that aims to help homeless people across the country.
Tony said: “The idea to do Sleep in the Park came from pupils but, unfortunately, you have to be aged 16 or over to take part.
“We have one student, Liam, who is 16 and he was up for the challenge.
“So, the three of us will head to Edinburgh on December 9. We can’t wait.”
The independent school runs a module on homelessness for National 4 pupils.
The schoolchildren have been learning about what it’s like to be homeless in Glasgow and the West of Scotland from people who have experienced it first hand.
They have chatted to Big Issue sellers and are due to visit Social Bite, a cafe chain in Glasgow that employs people living on the streets.
Fifth year pupil Liam studied the module last year, which Tony said is a great eye-opener.
He added: “We’re really keen to give our kids a true sense of what it’s like to be homeless.
“Educating them on the issue is what gave them the idea to do Sleep in the Park in the first place.”
Around 9,000 fundraisers will settle down for the night in Princes Street Gardens to raise awareness of the issue.
The aim of the event is to make major steps in eradicating homelessness in Scotland for good.
On t h e n i g ht , mus i c performances from Liam Gallagher, Deacon Blue and Frightened Rabbit, as well as bedtime stories from John Cleese, are on the bill - and will hopefully distract them from freezing east coast temperatures.
Football cards, raffles and sponsor forms have been organised in a bid to hit the school’s target of £300.
“We have everyone behind us trying to raise as much money as possible. Hopefully the people of Renfrewshire can support us and help the school reach its fund raising goal. This is a huge event and something which we hope will make a big change,” added Tony.
To donate to the fund raising page visit https:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/ mirren-park-school