Car park sleep-out to help homeless

Saturday 17 October 2020

A local shelter is inviting islanders to get out their sleeping bags and spend a night in the shoes of some of the island’s most vulnerable to raise money for homeless men.

Sanctuary Trust's sleep-out at Pier Road car park will take place on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 November, following the cancellation of the charity’s ‘Walk into Light’ event in April.

Last year’s sleep out event raised over £15,000 for the charity, with islanders who want to participate in this year’s event being asked to register either at Sanctuary’s website or on their JustGiving event page.

Due to covid restrictions, the event will be limited to 40 participants per night, with everyone outside of the same household required to sleep at a two-metre distance from each other. 

Pictured: Last year's event sleep out event raised over £15,000. 

Those partaking are also required to bring a face mask, sanitiser, cardboard to lie on, a sleeping bag, pillow and warm clothes, with all under-16s needing to be accompanied by an adult. 

Sanctuary's General Manager Brett Cutts said: “During lockdown, the level of vulnerability within the homeless community rocketed with an even higher demand for our services. 

“Now, with winter just around the corner, we need to pull out all the stops and make sure this event is a success so we can continue to provide sanctuary, support and hope to men who have hit a crisis.

He continued: “We will have a line-up of buskers to provide us with some acoustic music during the evening and there will be a mobile tuck shop doing the rounds with hot drinks and snacks as well as bacon rolls and coffee in the morning.”