HOMELESSNESS Awareness Week has literally taken centre stage in North Down to raise awareness of the issue and to promote the support services which are available in the borough.

Bangor Town Hall hosted three performances of ‘Hostel’, a play about the true story of a young, single mother with everything going for her until her circumstances suddenly change and she becomes homeless.

It was a joint production between North Down and Ards Homelessness Task Group Working, the independent, multi-award-winning, Belfast-based theatre company, Kabosh, and local SERC students.

Together they used the medium of performance and drama to highlight the harsh reality of homelessness and he terrible impact it has on those who fall victim to it.

North Down Mayor Peter Martin said the ‘challenging production’ in the Town Hall had helped to raise the profile of the issue of homelessness in the area.

He added, “I feel that how we treat our most vulnerable reflects on us all as a society and events such as this are vitally important to educate and change our perceptions.

“Tribute should be paid to the wonderful acting from the students from SERC who brought a gritty realism to the play itself.”

Sharon Titterington, Tenant Support Service Manager at North Down YMCA, also commended all of those who performed to such a high standard during all three performances of the play.

She added, “On behalf of North Down YMCA’s Tenant Support Service, I would like to thank the Task Group and all the students who dedicated their time and talent to this project.

““Their contribution has helped to raise much-needed awareness and has challenged the stigma often attached to homelessness.

“We also aimed to reinforce the message that homelessness can happen to any one of us, often with very little warning, and highlight that support is available.”