YMCA Bournemouth’s fourth annual Big Sleep Easy has hit a milestone as donations have exceeded £28,000 since the big event took place on Saturday 15th October at Talbot Heath School.
The evening saw the community uniting for a common cause, as more than 35 people from different organisations raised money by braving the weather and constructing temporary shelters to sleep rough under the stars for a night. YMCA Bournemouth will also be running over 15 more Sleep Easy events at Dorset schools this year as part of its wider fundraising campaign.
Donations have been received through the company’s dedicated Just Giving page, as well as multiple companies matching funding including Barclays and King Financial Services.
Sheena Dayman, Events Manager at YMCA Bournemouth commented: “It was fantastic to see members of our community come together to raise money for those in need. Spirits stayed high despite the challenging weather conditions and thanks to some great shelter craftmanship, everyone stayed dry!
“Homelessness is becoming increasingly prevalent as more and more people face financial pressures amid the cost of living crisis. YMCA Bournemouth plays a critical role in directly preventing homelessness by putting roofs over people’s heads, as well as providing personal support and guidance.”
Cool Coffee Cart and Fore Runner were on hand to provide food and refreshments including soup and coffee. Participants were also treated to some well-deserved bacon and sausage baps in the morning, which were donated by Tesco and cooked by the Winton Salvation Army.
Sheena Dayman continued, “By taking part in the Big Sleep Easy, individuals and organisations support our work to keep people safe from homelessness in the long-term. A huge thank you to everyone who took part this year.”
One of the organisations present at the event was this year’s main sponsor, Lester Aldridge, who took part for the fourth year running with their team of 14.
Mark Benham, Head of Estates, said, “Our structural engineering and architectural skills have come on leaps and bounds since last year, raising money to support a brilliant charity that makes a significant difference in our community’. We are already planning for 2023.”
Plans are already underway for 2023, as YMCA Bournemouth continues our mission to support vulnerable people in Dorset and those experiencing homelessness.
The team would like to say a special thank you to the following sponsors and businesses who supported the event:
- Lester Aldridge
- BIZ Space
- Lewis Investment
- St James Place
- Woodstock Legal Services
- King Financial Services
- Castlepoint
- Forerunner Personal Catering
- Paul Collins Photography
- Talbot Heath School
- Tesco
- Natwest
- Barclays
- ACE Office Environments
- Economy Hire
- SUEZ
- Winton Salvation Army
- Octima
- Preston Redman
- Pivotal Homes Group
Donations continue to be accepted – if you are interested in supporting the campaign, please contribute what you can via our fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/YMCABBigSleepEasy2022
