The Off The Fence Big Sleep-out returns bigger than ever on November 18th
Last November 100 participants, including six companies, university students, the entire senior management team of Brighton & Hove Albion, a senior BBC religious producer, pensioners, teenagers, churches and clubs slept out all night to raise over £34,000 for the rough sleeping population in Brighton & Hove.
Approximately one in 78 of the City’s population don’t have a roof to call their own and as many as 700 sleep outside every night. Off the Fence takes the view that prevention is better than cure – and lot more economic. It costs over £24k a year to care for a rough sleeper compared with under £5k to intervene earlier and avoid the move out into the open.
The Charity is back on North Lawn in York Place, just north of St Peter’s Church on Friday 18th November from 5pm with another packed schedule of activities. There will be cardboard boxes to create shelters, a PA system with an outdoor cinema screen, a street food truck, refreshments, fencing and security. It costs just £20 to take part and participants are expected to set up sponsorship pages to draw in support.
The Big Sleep Out is an annual fundraising challenge organised by Off The Fence for people to experience what life can be like for rough sleepers and to raise money to help them off the streets and back on track.
When: Friday 18th – Saturday 19th November
Time: 5pm – 8am
Where: North Lawn, St Peter’s Church, York Place, Brighton, BN1 4GU
Participants are encouraged to bring friends and family (under 18s must be accompanied), or come as a team from work or on your own and the Charity will put you in a team. There will challenges like ‘Build your own shelter’; testimonials, live music, food and a celebrity story time.
Brighton & Hove is one of the highest ratio rough sleeper cities in the UK and with the cost of living climbing daily, this shows no sign of getting any better. People sleeping rough die younger (men 45, women 43 on average), are more likely to get ill and are more vulnerable to violence than the rest of the population.
To take part in the Big Sleep Out 2022, please contact Event Organiser Sarah Melvin to book your place email sarah.melvin@offthefence.org.uk or 01273 933885
