DOING a skydive may be daunting enough for most people, but imagine doing the skydive stark naked! That’s exactly what Ian Mulroy plans to
do on September 6th with the lads from Unit 1, Shop Street in aid of Drogheda Homeless Aid. Darren Monks, the owner of Unit 1, initially only booked 20 places on the skydive but has since been overwhelmed by the amount of interest shown in the event and now has 46 people participating. The event was advertised in the shop itself, through customers of the shop and on Facebook, yet people were still signing up for the skydive last weekend, which will take place in the Irish Parachute Club in Clonbollogue, Co Offaly. Drogheda Homeless Aid faces a budget deficit of nearly € 55,000 this year, so all of the money raised will be welcomed. ‘ The Government cutbacks and our resulting budget shortfall has meant that we really have had to up the ante in relation to our fundraising activities’, says Karen Smyth, Director of Drogheda Homeless Aid, ‘and we have been making a huge effort to be as innovative as possible in finding ways to raise the funds we need to keep us afloat. We have always found that the people of Drogheda have been fantastic in helping us out with our fundraising activities, and this year in particular, the response from our local community has really been phenomenal’. Participants are asked to raise a minimum of € 620 to take part, 120 of which is needed with the application to take part. After the popularity of the skydive, Unit 1 now plan to organise charity events every year for local charities. Two of the girls who plan to skydive, Aoife McCullough and Amanda Marron, have organised a charity waxing with entertainment afterwards in The Morning Star in Tullyallen as a fundraiser for the skydive this Friday.
Owner Darren Monks said that applications are still available for the skydive, if people think they can raise € 620 in the two weeks remaining before the event. People can also donate money to the skydive. For more information, contact Unit 1 at 041-9835629.