Giving up alcohol for a whole month might be a bit tough for some, especially considering how tough 2020 has been so far.

That’s why Dry July has also introduced a “Dry-ish July” to encourage as many people as possible to join in. Now, you can choose to go dry for 7 days, 14 days, 21 days or the whole 31.

Local charity Our House has been taking part in Dry July since 2010. 

This year, Our House directors Dr Chris Ingall, Brian Henry and Rebekka Battista will again lead the charge by giving their livers a break and having no alcohol for the whole month of July.

They invite the community to join with them in Dry July to raise funds for cancer. 

“We would love the community to either join or sponsor us going dry,” Rebekka said. 

Brian Henry, Dr Chris-Ingall and Ruth-Harrison.

Rebekka said Dry July played an important role in funding the Our House facility – starting in 2010 when the ABC North Coast highlighted the Our House project to the Dry July team from Sydney. 

“They were enthusiastically supportive and Our House became one of the beneficiaries receiving over $250,000 in three years,” Rebekka said.

“Now, it’s 10 years on and the connection between Dry July and Our House remains strong. 

“We recently received a $25,000 grant from the Dry July Foundation to assist in refurbishing sections of the bathroom. 

“This was an incredible grant to receive, as we noticed with over 7,000 guests in seven years that there was significant wear and tear and this grant will allow us to finance this huge job”. 

Brian Henry and Dr Chris Ingall.

Our House has now become a Guaranteed Beneficiary of Dry July which means that the money raised this year by the Dry July Our House team goes directly to another “Keep Our House Beautiful” project; which is the re-covering of the sofa beds in the 20 rooms. 

Each sofa bed will cost $2,000 to re-cover. 

“So, it would be fantastic if you could either join or support the Our House Team,” Rebekka said. 

To join or show your support, visit https://www.dryjuly.com/users/sign_up or donate at https://www.dryjuly.com/teams/our-house-3