Limerick charity event to place Focus on homeless issue

HUNDREDS of people are set to sleep out at King John’s Castle to highlight the ongoing problem of homelessness in Limerick.

There are still 265 adults without a home in the county, and in response to this Focus Ireland will hold its annual Shine a Light night in the city’s main tourist attraction on Friday, October 18.

The event challenges business leaders across Ireland to sleep-out for one night and in doing so, raise vital funds to help alleviate homelessness.  

Speaking at the launch, Kate McGrath, the project leader of Focus Ireland’s services in the region said: “Focus Ireland works tirelessly with people experiencing homelessness to help them secure their home or to ensure they leave homelessness for good.

“We also work extensively across the area of prevention to make sure many other families and individuals in the Mid-West never become homeless in the first place. We rely on the support of organisations like Bord Gáis Energy to make a success of fundraising events like Shine A Light Night and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for their generous support.”

Delighted to announce King John’s Castle as the venue for first-ever #ShineALightNight2019 event in Limerick & Mid –West region(proudly supported by @BordGaisEnergy)

Thank you #KingJohnsCastle, @shannonheritage, @LimerickCLG, @DecHannon & @Harmonicsirlhttps://t.co/8vQnOF5pss pic.twitter.com/qkmTPWec9t

— Focus Ireland (@FocusIreland) July 27, 2019

Shine a Light night 2018 is being backed by Limerick’s All-Ireland winning captain Declan Hannon.

He said: “I’m well aware of the work Focus Ireland does in Limerick and I hope our county can again lead the way in showing our support for such an important night. The evening will be made extra special as it’s taking place in the historic King John's Castle, a building which is synonymous with the city.”

Niall O Callaghan, the managing director of Shannon Heritage, which manages King John’s Castle, said: “We are delighted to make this historic venue available to help put the modern crisis of homelessness into clear focus and I encourage the business community to join us on October 18. It promises to be a special night and I would like to thank everyone who made it possible.”

To date, Shine A Light Night has raised over €4m for people experiencing homelessness in Ireland. In 2018, this support enabled Focus Ireland to help over 15,500 people. With the support of the business community, every day Focus Ireland moves a family out of homelessness into a secure home of their own.  

People across Limerick are being sought to take part in the sleep-out.

For more information on this, please telephone Aoife Sheehan, Focus Ireland on 086-8532201, email aoife.sheehan@focusireland.ie.

And to register, get online at www.focusireland.ie/shinealight