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Awareness

The Novas Sleep Out 2017, the last big drive of the year is on Friday

Pictured recently at the Coffee Morning in aid of Novas, hosted by Mayor of the Metropolitan District of Limerick, Sean Lynch are Julia McKenna, Coordinator of the Mid-West Community Detox and Respite Services, Novas with Una Burns, Head of Policy and Communications, Novas. Novas’ last big Drive before Christmas will be the Novas Sleep Out 2017 which is taking place tomorrow. Picture: Maxine Bramley / ilovelimerick.

The Novas Sleep Out 2017, the last big drive of the year is on Friday

By I Love Limerick Correspondent Maxine Bramley

Novas is holding their fourth annual sleep out this Friday, December 15 from 7 pm outside Brown Thomas on O Connell Street Limerick.


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The Novas Sleep Out 2017 is one of many fundraising and profile-raising events the Limerick-based voluntary organisation has held this year to continue their fight to end homelessness. The Novas Sleep Out 2017 is the “last big drive before Christmas”.

The Novas Sleep Out was first initiated by Novas volunteer Ken Gorman and he is still intricately involved and is one of the main people who manages the event, takes part on the night, and gets others involved.

This year Specsavers is the Novas Sleep Outs main sponsor and they will be sleeping out on Friday and have held many of their own events throughout the month of December to raise funds in the run-up to the event.

This year’s Novas Sleep Out 2017 also sees massive support from John Paul Construction and various scout clubs in Limerick.

“The response has been absolutely fantastic. We’ve been overwhelmed by the support from people on social media and people who have gotten in contact with us at the office, and businesses and organisations that have expressed interest and want to do something, so we’re extremely grateful to them,” Una Burns, Head of Policy and Communications, Novas told I Love Limerick.

Throughout the month of December Novas has been distributing sponsorship cards to the volunteers and organisations who will be sleeping out on the night. Money has already been raised through sponsorship cards and collection buckets will also be there on the night to encourage the public to donate to this event to support homeless people in Limerick.

“We want to raise a profile on Novas and homelessness and keep it on the agenda considering how many people are homeless nationally and here in Limerick. We also want to raise vital funds so we can support more and more people through services like our street outreach,” Una said.

Novas’ hopes for 2018 is to provide more longer-lasting solutions for homelessness as well emergency accommodation, by providing sustainable routes out of homelessness to people.

As well as tomorrow night’s Sleep out the national Gaelic Voices For Change sleep out is also taking place on Saturday night, where a host of intercounty GAA players will be sleeping out throughout Ireland.

Both Camogie, Hurling, ladies football and men’s football players from Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick will be sleeping out in aid of Novas and Thomond House Limerick for the Mid-West Gaelic Voices For Change Sleep Out.

“I want to say a huge thank you on behalf of everyone here at Novas for the tremendous support to Novas in 2017. Without the public generosity, raising profile for Novas and Homelessness, donations, and hosting of supporting events, we wouldn’ t be able to support as many people as we do,” Una Burns concludes.

If you would like to join Novas in growing awareness of homelessness issues and raising funds please contact Chris on 083-4536813.

To find out more about Novas click here

To read more of our stories on Novas click here

 

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.