THE Bishop of Newcastle, the Rt Revd Martin
Wharton, was able to bless more than 140 sleeping bags to bring a
little extra warmth and comfort to homeless people. They had been
donated by members of the Mothers' Union, who had been asked, over
the summer, to donate one penny for each night that they slept in a
comfortable bed.
They were then to collect the pennies to buy a lightweight
sleeping bag that was easy to carry around all day. The hope had
been to raise enough for 50 sleeping bags, but the total came to
almost £1500 - enough for nearly three times as many bags as they
expected.