I am delighted to announce that I will be MC at the Nollaig na mBan Luncheon in Kilronan Castle on January 11th hosted by North West Simon. Women’s Little Christmas falls on 6th January which is the Feast of the Epiphany and also the official end to Christmas. More recently charities have used it to celebrate women and across Ireland a range of ladies events for charity will take place. I decided that the theme of my address to ladies in the North West will be HOPE.

Homelessness has certainly been one of the big issues of 2014 and the hidden homeless problem is one which is growing not just in urban areas but in rural parts of Ireland too. Today anyone can face losing their home and our perceptions about what a ‘homeless person’ looked like, what background they may have come from, or their personal circumstances are no longer relevant.

North West Simon tell me that they have seen a dramatic increase in “new homeless” people, the “invisible” or” hidden homelessness” is increasing as people are “crashing” with other family and friends, people are effectively being blocked from accessing housing, rents are rising and the weather is getting colder.

Development Officer, Mary McKeon says, “We are all just one pay cheque from being homeless, fundraisers like this one are extremely important for North West Simon Community so the charity can continue to provide vital services in Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.”

Save the Date

Sunday 11th January 2015

Event Details

Little Black Dress Luncheon in Kilronan Castle, Ballyfarnon, Sligo. Arrive to a drinks reception at 1:00pm, followed by a 3-course luncheon. We will have guest speakers on nutrition, fashion, food, along with our “Brightest smile competition” and goodie bags for everyone.

Dress Code

Wear your favourite little black dress accessorised with a little yellow. There will be a prize for most original splash of yellow!

Tickets

Tickets priced €45 can be purchased from the North West Simon Community office on 23 Mail Coach Rd in Sligo, from Mary on 087 7708865 or Michelle at David McConville Orthodontics in Quayside Shopping Centre Sligo. Tickets can also be purchased at reception in Kilronan Castle.

About Joanne Sweeney-Burke

Joanne has extensive communications experience and her career includes broadcast and print journalism, an experienced PR practitioner and lecturer, marketing executive and CEO in various business roles. She is also a Digital Marketing professional with an acute interest in Online Reputation which she describes as “a new phenomenon by which employers, educators and peers create an opinion on us.” She is interested in social media and law enforcement and social media and teens and has written extensively on these matters. She will publish her first book in early 2015. She is the Managing Director of Digital Training Institute and co-founder of edtech startup Webiket. She is a sought after speaker, trainer and mentor and has a unique ability to engage audiences.

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