The Big Sleep 2023 took place on Tuesday 28th March at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University in aid of The Bridge Homelessness to Hope.
Both university staff and students spent the night outside in Centenary Square at The University of Leicester and the Food Village at De Monfort University to raise funds for The Bridge Homelessness to Hope.
Staff from The Bridge Homelessness to Hope - a day centre for people who are experiencing homelessness in Leicester - also took part in the fundraiser on behalf of their charity.
"Sleeping out for the night might be fun, but for many people this is an every night reality, and is why The Bridge Homelessness to Hope is spending the night sleeping outside to fundraise for our much-needed and important work with the homeless community in Leicester."
Over 40 people gathered in Centenary Square in the evening, where Executive Operations Manager, David Fawcett welcomed guests, before hosting a Q&A, alongside Ella Tansey, a Caseworker for The Bridge. Here, participants were able to hear more about the work The Bridge are doing and find out more about homelessness in Leicester.
After the Q&A, those taking part 'bedded down' for the night, sleeping in sleeping bags on top of flattened cardboard boxes until 6am the following morning.
Other teams spending the night under the stars were staff from Dupli (previously Tetenal Ltd), who raised an amazing £485 for The Bridge, as well as donating £500 to their fundraiser.
"Taking part in the big sleep was an eye opener to the reality many homeless people face and hearing the statistics made me want raise awareness of this cause. It was a privilege to take part in raising money for a great cause."
Morgan, Dupli Leicester
Several other companies from Leicester including Mattioli Woods, Amazon, Shoe Zone and Long Harbour also sponsored The Bridge in an effort to raise money for the charity and awareness of the work they do with the homeless community.
"It’s been a pleasure to support The Bridge Homelessness to Hope for the last four years and learn more about the positive impact the charity’s work has on those facing homelessness in Leicester. We’re proud to continue our support this year with a further donation, which we hope will extend our relationship and help more vulnerable people in the city.”
Jason Morrison, Shipping and Delivery Support Team Manager at Amazon
The Bridge Homelessness to Hope would like to say a massive thank you to both The University of Leicester and De Monfort University for hosting The Big Sleep 2023. Together, along with the support from local businesses, staff and students from the universities, we have raised an incredible £7399 for our charity! This will go a long way into helping us continue the vital work we are doing with people who are experiencing homelessness in Leicester. We could not have done this without your incredible support!
