Two NI Conservative activists, David Symington and Mark Brotherston, slept rough in Bangor last weekend, to increase awareness of homelessness. David, the Tory representative for Ballyholme and Groomsport, and Mark, who represents Bangor West, took part in Abaana’s ‘Charity 48’ drive, which raises funds for street children in Uganda.
“The temperatures were low and there was a high wind, so the conditions were challenging”, David described. “It was for a great cause though and Abaana’s event raised a considerable amount of money for children in Africa who are out on the streets. We felt that it was important to support that cause, but also to raise awareness of homelessness in North Down. There were 689 homeless applications in the area during 2011/12.”
Mark Brotherston explained, “We are aware that homelessness is a something which afflicts children in Africa, but is also a very real problem on the streets of Northern Ireland. The sleep-out was an excellent experience and for a worthy cause, but it wasn’t comfortable and most rough-sleepers unfortunately have little choice on where they spend the night.”