Layers and tea are key in teacher's five-night sleep out in memory of her sister

Athlone secondary school teacher Edel Menton has passed the halfway stage of her five-night charity sleep out challenge in memory of her sister Bridgetta, who died suddenly in March of this year.

Edel is spending each of the weeknights this week in a small tent in a field near her home in Curraghboy, and she said the first night, Monday, was undoubtedly the toughest so far.

"Monday was definitely the coldest, so that broke me into it well. I started off very confident, but by around 3am it was getting very chilly," she told the Westmeath Independent.

"I think it was into the minus temperatures on Monday, so Tuesday and Wednesday seemed like summer days in comparison!

"There's a bit of a flood in this evening, with all of the rain, so tonight could be interesting, but hopefully it will be ok. Today was the first day that I was fairly tired going about the place, but we are over the hump now."

Edel explained that Bridgetta was always very fond of her dressing gown, or ‘night coat’, so she decided to set up a ‘GoFund Me’ page for the sleep out challenge which would invite people to make a donation to five local causes and perhaps also send in a photo of themselves in their “dressing gown or jammies”.

She picked a charitable cause for each of the five nights of the sleep-out, with the event raising money for the Midlands Simon Community; St Vincent De Paul in Athlone; Pieta Midlands; Supporting Noah and Rowan Benson Gately; and Western Alzheimer’s.

At the time of writing, a remarkable sum of almost €30,000 has been donated by 786 people in just over a week and a half.

As she prepared for another December night outdoors, Edel said an abundance of layers, and tea, were both crucial.

"With all of the layers, you feel like you're nearly too warm at the start, but you know that you'll need it later on because it's when you get to 3, 4, or 5am that the cold really hits.

"But there's hot water bottles, plenty of tea from a flask, and I've definitely eaten more chocolate than normal, but I've a good excuse for it this week!"

She said the support from people in South Roscommon had also been hugely encouraging.

"It's lovely when neighbours are coming and standing outside the tent and sharing a few stories about Bridgetta. They're asking what she would be saying about this, but I think she'd be loving the attention!"

Edel's family owns one of the two local shops in Curraghboy village, and she said there were "loads of people popping into the shop each day, telling my father that I'm mad, but being really supportive as well."

A teacher of French and Business in Athlone Community College, she has also been fielding lots of questions from her students about the sleep out experience.

"The kids have been spending the first few minutes of class each day checking how it went (overnight), so they're happy in that regard that they get to avoid a few minutes of teaching.

"From the students in the school to a 97-year-old woman who came to wish me well, everyone has been amazing."

She stopped short, however, of pledging to repeat the five-night challenge in future.

"Someone did ask me if I would make it a yearly thing, but I've definitely not committed to that!" she laughed. "It might be a one-night thing in the future."

You can support the 'Nightcoat or dressing gown?' appeal, in memory of Bridgetta Menton, at the 'Go Fund Me' page here: https://ie.gofundme.com/nightcoat-or-dressing-gown