Sleep out set to smash last year’s total
Fundraisers endure bitterly cold night
The Rev Allan Wilson, Joan Young, Isobel Sinclair, Marjorie Clark and Councillor Peter Barrett The Churches Action for the Homeless (CATH) Sleep Out is on course to smash last year’s record of £9000 raised.
Around 85 hardy souls hunkered down under the shadow of St John’s Kirk last Wednesday to sleep out on a bitterly cold night.
And while all were aware they had a warm bed and home waiting for them, it did give them some sense of the vulnerability felt by those who really do call the streets home.
Brian Cowie, chief executive of CATH, told the PA he had some nerves that a similar event coming up in Dundee may have hampered the Perth effort.
But his concerns proved unfounded as dozens of residents, from teenagers to pensioners, came out to support the worthy cause.
Brian said: “It went very well and was very well supported.
“We had an increase in the numbers from last year. The final total has still to be established because we have a lot of donations coming in but certainly at this moment we will probably beat the figure of £9000 raised last year.
“The weather was quite kind to us. It was very, very cold but there was no rain and all the people who promised to support us did.”
Those taking part included church Morven Smith, James Nevil and Carolyn Murphy from SSE members, students from Perth College UHI and Perth and Kinross Council.
Among them was a team of seven from McNabs Solicitors.
They had already raised money for CATH earlier this year and were keen to support the charity again.
It was the first time for the staff members there to take part in the sleep out and all of them stuck it out.
Senior solicitor and chair of McNabs’ charity community, Rebecca Ellwood, said: “We were quite apprehensive but it went great.
“I can’t say we had a good night, but it was certainly inspiring.
“We were so fortunate with the weather. If it had been the night before or the night after maybe we wouldn’t have got on so well.
“We were very aware that we were safe, well fed and as warm as we could be, but even then it was challenging.
“We’d definitely look to do it again, the work CATH does is so important.”
The McNabs team raised £1300 for CATH with the Sleep Out.
The next day they headed for Perth’s Premier Inn, who donated two free breakfasts after finding out what the team had done.
Although the discomfort felt by those who took part is very much within a controlled environment, Brian reckons it does give an insight to participants.
He said: “There have been questions raised about why we do it for just one night when we can all go home afterwards, but it does reinforce how difficult life can be.
“We are very fortunate because Perth and Kinross Council operates a rapid rehoming model which means we don’t currently have any rough sleepers and that is not the case in the likes of Dundee, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.”