Three-day Christmas bazaar to help the homeless

The annual Christmas bazaar in aid of the Es Refugi shelter will be held at the Casal Balaguer, in Palma's Calle Union, on December 13, 14 and 15. This was announced yesterday by Antoni Garau, the president of the Associació Es Refugi, which runs the shelters of Ca L'Ardiaca and Can Gazá. Garau said that proceeds from the market will be used to improve the living conditions at the shelters, which cater for the homeless who are not eligible for places in official shelters. Goods on sale will include restored furniture, clothing, footwear, toys, gift objects and ceramics. There will also be a bar serving food and a raffle for journeys. Last year the market raised eight million pesetas for the shelter. Es Refugi wants to launch two new projects next year, for which it will receive a Council of Majorca subsidy: a centre for young immigrants with no papers and workshops for training ex-prisoners. Last year, Ca l'Ardiaca attended to 347 people, most of them from the mainland and homeless, and with an average age of 39.