Blighted by cold, warmed by love

Tag : airline socks

MORE than 6000 pilgrims have been given extra clothing andblankets, while 21 were forced to visit hospital emergencydepartments after being caught out by Sydney's cold snap.
Organisers said some pilgrims from Oceania and Africa had simplynever felt such cold before and came ill-prepared.
Temperatures in Sydney fell to 5.7 degrees on Saturday night, thecoldest night of the year so far.
Catholic groups across NSW put out an appeal for warm clothing atthe weekend and have been inundated with items.
Members from the Catholic Women's League of Australia spent theweekend frantically knitting socks, scarves and jumpers forpilgrims, while Qantas has donated 10,000 of the airline's oldblankets.
The Lismore diocese hosted 400 pilgrims from the Solomon Islandsand gave each of them 10 items of warm clothing.
The event's Pilgrim Partnership Support Program co-ordinator,Therese Nichols, said the generosity shown by Australians wouldmean no pilgrim would go cold.
"For many of the European and American pilgrims who are cominghere, they know what cold weather is like because they're used toit but people from Oceania, for example, have just neverexperienced this type of cold," Ms Nichols said.
The NSW Government's event spokeswoman, Kristina Keneally, said theproblems were compounded by thousands of pilgrims having failed toregister before coming to Sydney. She confirmed that 21 pilgrimsvisited hospital because of the cold but said there had been noserious repercussions.
The president of the Catholic Women's League in the SydneyArchdiocese, Moya Potts, said donations had come from across thestate.
with AAP
Those wanting to donate blankets and warm clothing can contact theCatholic Women's League in the Sydney Archdiocese on 93905153.