On Friday night, just under 30 brave souls survived the night sleeping in the main stand of Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium raising over £7,000 for charity in the process.
There is still time to support the group’s effort by donating here.
An extremely memorable evening for those involved, the sleepers enjoyed a quiz and presentations from the two charities before choosing where to sleep. The night itself was quite a cold one, dropping down to 6 degrees centigrade and not a huge amount of sleep was enjoyed!
The group were delighted to be joined in the morning by the Mayor of Cambridge, Gerri Bird, who helped serve our sleepers breakfast which was generously provided by Rapid Relief Team.
The Sleepout has helped raised crucial funds for the fantastic local charity, Wintercomfort for the Homeless and Cambridge United Community Trust’s programmes working with young people that might otherwise not engage in the local community.
Sam Gomarsall, Cambridge United Community Trust Manager said: “We’re so grateful to those that came along, and raised such an incredible amount for the two causes. Whilst this was certainly not one of the most comfortable night’s sleep I or any of the other people sleeping out will have had, we all recognised that this pales in comparison to what homeless people go through every single night.
As an organisation, we want to do our bit to help reduce the inequality in Cambridge and we see providing opportunities run by positive role models for young people to play sport, learn new skills and engage in their local community. The money raised will help us do precisely that.”
Simon Pickering, Wintercomfort’s Fundraising Manager said, “We were delighted to partner with Cambridge United Community Trust on this Sleepout and want to express our gratitude both to those who slept out and those who donated. The money raised will play an important role in helping us to support those most in need within Cambridge.”
Wintercomfort supports men and women who are homeless or vulnerably housed by offering them vital welfare services and opportunities for learning and training. The day centre opens 7 days a week all year round, and relies on volunteers to keep the service running. Wintercomfort continues to be a significant resource to the homeless community in Cambridge and last year supporte 836 people, making 21,427 visits to our centre, an increase of 13% on the previous year.
Cambridge United Community Trust uses sport to impact people’s lives positively in the local community and in particular, the funds raised will go on creating more opportunities within their Premier League Kicks programme. This programme works in Cambridge’s most disadvantaged areas providing free turn up and play football sessions alongside workshops and opportunities for young people to learn new skills.
If you want to register your interest for next year’s sleepout, fill in this form and we will send you a reminder in late 2020!
Want to donate to support the fight against homeless: click here
Want to register your interest for the 2021 event: click here