Father and daughter to sleep out on Galway streets to raise thousands for the homeless

The sleep out will take place on Friday, 7 October in aid of the Galway Simon Community.

Galway business man Joe Carroll of OMG @ Zhivago and his daughter, restaurateur Gill, will take part in and sponsor Galway Simon’s ‘Sleep out for Simon’ event taking place on Friday, 7 October. Joe and Gill hope to raise €5,000 through their participation in the event and have offered the front of their premises, OMG Zhivago and 56 Central, on Shop Street as the main base for those participating in the sleep out. The event, which will start at 8pm on Friday, 7 October and go on until 8am the following morning, will see people from Galway and Mayo swap their beds for sleeping bags to raise awareness and funds for local homeless charity, the Galway Simon Community. The main event will take place on Shop Street with smaller events being organised by supporters of the charity in Athenry (by Sonny Murray), Corinthians RFC (by Sharon Fitzmaurice) and Castlebar (by Danny Coffey). Joe and Gill spend most of their days and nights in Galway city centre and have seen first-hand the issues of homelessness that exists, often leaving work late at night to see someone asleep outside their shop only to find them there again in the morning. “As I cycle to work in the morning I am shocked to see the sleeping bags curled up in doorways” said Gill, who lives in Galway city. Having worked closely with a young person who ended up homeless this summer, Gill and her father realised how easy it is to fall into homelessness and literally get lost in the city without a good support group around you. It was a real eye-opener for both of them to see how vulnerable these people really are. Joe and Gill are hoping to raise €5,000 with the support of the crews from both 56 Central and OMG @ Zhivago. Both businesses will be asking fellow business partners and suppliers to support this cause. “With Christmas coming and cold winter's nights, this is really the time to help Galway Simon Community raise awareness and money for these people in our own community,” Gill said. To support the cause, go to ‘Sleep out for Simon’ on www.justgiving.com. All proceeds will be used effectively and transparently to prevent and address homelessness in Galway. Anyone who is interested in getting involved should contact Amy Lavelle in Galway Simon on amy.lavelle@galwaysimon.ie or (091) 381828.