The YMCA Big Sleep Easy 2025

📅 Date: 18th October 2025
📍 Venue: Diverse Abilities, Merritown Lane, Hurn BH23 6DT

The Big Sleep Easy Countdown

The YMCA Big Sleep Easy offers an inspiring challenge for individuals, groups, and organisations to raise awareness of homelessness and funds for YMCA Bournemouth—a local charity committed to ending homelessness.

Participants set a fundraising target, wrap up warm, build a cardboard shelter, and spend a night sleeping rough so others don’t have to.

Every year, the YMCA Big Sleep Easy raises thousands of pounds to help tackle homelessness in Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, and across Dorset. Funds raised support local homeless individuals by providing them with the tools and assistance they need to achieve independent living and a brighter, more secure future.

Not only does the event raise vital funds, but it also fosters team building, informal networking, and demonstrates a genuine commitment to supporting our homeless community.

This year’s event will be particularly special as it will be the last Big Sleep Easy for a while, marking the semi-retirement of Sheena Dayman, our community fundraiser. Let’s make it the most memorable event yet.

We’ve partnered with Dorset’s disability charity, Diverse Abilities, to co-host this year’s event. Funds raised by them will contribute to an Information Hub for people with disabilities who are at risk of homelessness.

• Raise Awareness & Funds: Help tackle homelessness in Dorset.
• Experience & Empathy: Understand the reality of sleeping rough.
• Community & Networking: Connect with like-minded individuals and organisations.
• Give Hope: Provide critical resources to those in need.

The Diverse Abilities site at Merritown Lane offers plenty of free parking, a secure location, and all the amenities needed for an authentic night under the stars in your cardboard shelter.

We encourage participants to build simple, sturdy shelters to make the experience as realistic as possible.

If you’d like to take part in the YMCA Big Sleep Easy 2025:
📞 Contact Sheena Dayman on 07824 333505
📧 Email: sheena.dayman@ymcabournemouth.org.uk

Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference and be part of something truly meaningful. Whether you’re an individual, group, or organisation, your participation helps us create a brighter future for those in need.

Let’s sleep rough for one night so others don’t have to.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the YMCA Big Sleep Easy 2024. Together, we raised an incredible £13,477 to support our homeless community!

A number of schools, colleges, other organisations & individuals have held “Sleep Easy” fundraising events on our behalf at their own premises. All participants raise funds via JustGiving. On the night they build shelters out of cardboard boxes, before spending a night (in a safe environment) ‘sleeping rough so others don’t have to’.

We provide guidance, set up the fundraising mechanism and provide all the materials to make the event a success. For schools, we can come into the school and talk to the pupils about how they can help to combat homelessness, just by taking part.

To receive an information pack, please email sheena.dayman@ymcabournemouth.org.uk.

Sponsorship helps cover the costs of organising the event.

Sponsors benefit from:

• Their logo on Thank You Certificates.
• Branding on event packs.
• Publicity through YMCA’s website and social media.

Sponsors of school events may also participate in judging shelters or awarding prizes.

For sponsorship inquiries, contact Sheena Dayman via email at sheena.dayman@ymcabournemouth.org.uk.

• Lester Aldridge
• Intergage
• JKD Accountants
• A3C
• Gungho Marketing
• Harry Palmer
• Enhanced

• SJ PP
• Even Keel Solutions
• Derrington Group
• Britannia
• Wessex Packaging
• Johnsons
• Dominoes

• Travis Perkins
• Suez
• ACE Office
• Wessex Rope
• Barchester
• Preston Redman
• ElextriX