SOME poor soul is going to come to a bad end in mysterious circumstances at Belfast Castle tomorrow night – but don't call the PSNI just yet; the killing in question is for a perfectly good cause.
The gothic-looking19th century pile on the slopes of Cave Hill is the fitting setting of a murder mystery being held as a fundraiser for homeless charity the Belfast Welcome Organisation.
The event, organised by consultancy firm owner Deborah Oktar-Campbell, will be staged by macabre fantasists Murder Mystery NI, with participants channelling their inner actor as they take on the role of a character embroiled in the who-done-it-style make-believe murder.
"They all get a role to play on the night, and they come dressed up," Deborah says, adding that people take their roles quite seriously.
"There’s a big variety of people involved, so we have cooks, priests, bishops, florists, French maids, and others. They all have their own storyline."
Murder Mystery NI host a variety murder mysteries, each with a unique plot, but Deborah explains that this charity event presents a new challenge for them.
"It’s quite a big story for them," she says. "Normally they do little groups for hen nights, or private parties – things like that. But for this event they have had to write a storyline for nearly 100 people."
Although organising the event, the murder remains a mystery even to her.
"I don’t know who the murderer is and I don’t know who is getting murdered," she says.
"It’s quite exciting for everybody that’s coming along – including me. It would be a bit of a spoiler if I knew what was going to happen."
Guests will be treated to an evening of food, drink and entertainment and Deborah is hopeful that they can raise plenty of money for the Belfast Welcome Organisation who need the funding for vital supplies.
"They get some funding, but they don’t get funding for things like sleeping bags and food," she explains.
"There's been some deaths of homeless people in Belfast recently and it made me think that it’s a very worthy cause. Money from each ticket sale goes directly to the charity, and I’ve received quite a few great raffle prizes – one company has donated 20 sleeping bags."
:: Some tickets are still available for this event; for enquiries contact 07546487935 or info@docconsulting.co.uk. For information on the Welcome Organisation or to donate see homelessbelfast.org.
