MP Sleeps Rough for Local Charity

2.00.00pm GMT Thu 24th Jan 2008

From 10pm on Saturday night local MP Tim Farron will be sleeping rough at Kendal castle, in order to raise awareness for Kendal-based charity Manna House, who help those who either sleep rough on the streets or live in insecure accommodation. In 1997 a 'Housing Need' survey in South Lakeland showed that there was a need for 1360 extra units of affordable homes, and yet by 2002 only 215 units had been supplied. Despite Government promises of more housing, housing in the Kendal and South Lakeland area is still struggling to catch up with this deficit, with many vulnerable people having to wait weeks to be housed.

Tim Farron said:

"That housing need exists at all in a society as affluent as ours is a travesty, and we must do all we can to help those in need. Manna House are doing a fantastic job in helping people in need of help, whether they be homeless, illiterate or seeking a new home after family break up, and deserve all the support we can give them. It is important to remember that everyone sleeping rough is someone's mother, father, brother or sister, and supporting Manna House is the best way of helping those local people who would otherwise not receive the aid they desperately need."

"If you know someone who is sleeping rough in the castle on Saturday night, please do not hesitate to sponsor them - we can only stop housing need by working together."