CHARITY
Raise money in your sleep !
Dream charity – Tees Business staff took part in last year ’ s sleepout at the
Riverside Stadium . Now the call has gone out for this year ’ s event .
Plea for businesspeople to take part in charity sleepout
A
call has gone out for Teesside businesses to sign up to help local families facing homelessness – by sleeping rough overnight on the terraces of Middlesbrough ’ s Riverside Stadium .
Tees Business is joining forces with Teesside-based national charity CEO Sleepout in a call for business bosses and their staff to sign up for a fundraising sleepout at Boro ’ s ground on the night of Thursday May 2 .
CEO Sleepout , which has raised £ 4.6m for homelessness charities across the UK over the past 11 years , is joining forces with The Teesside Charity and MFC Foundation for the fundraiser .
Tees Business has made CEO Sleepout its chosen charity for the second annual Tees Business Awards , taking place on Thursday April 18 , just two weeks before the fundraising event .
CEO Sleepout ’ s own CEO Bianca Robinson , who will make an impassioned plea at the awards event for businesses to sign up for one night of discomfort , is also the focus of the front cover feature of this spring issue of Tees Business .
Tees Business directors Dave Allan and Martin Walker have signed up to take part in the sleepout for a second successive year , with Dave saying : “ CEO Sleepout is a truly awe-inspiring movement , so we couldn ’ t be prouder to be backing it on a local level .
“ We ’ re calling on the businesses and businesspeople we work with to commit to giving up their comfortable beds for one night of fundraising for a special cause .”
Numerous brave souls have already signed up , but the charities hope to hit the 100 mark to ensure they reach a new Teesside fundraising high .
Last year , CEO Sleepout ’ s 10th anniversary event saw 75 people – including Tees Business directors Dave and Martin , plus colleagues Vicky Thomas and Chris Garbutt - get sponsored to spend a night out in the cold , raising a combined £ 65,000 .
Bianca believes the Teesside trait of looking after their own can help raise record-breaking funds this time around .
“ On Teesside we ’ re all like one big family and businesses can strengthen Teesside ’ s social fabric to create a thriving area that works for all of us , not just the lucky few ,” she said .
“ Rough sleeping might not seem a big issue to some , but it ’ s a fact that you can ’ t walk down a Teesside high street without coming across someone who doesn ’ t have a roof over their head each night .
“ The bigger , most shocking issue is around the increasing number of families on low incomes with young children to support who can no longer afford private rental .
“ They are being forced out of their homes into temporary accommodation that ’ s often unfit for purpose . Their horrifying lived reality is slum housing , exploitative landlords and homes that are making people sick . “ It ’ s got to change .” Funds raised from the sleepout will support up to 20 local charities and good causes , including Tees Valley Together , White Feather Project , TRAC UK , Footprints in the Community , Recovery Connections , food banks and the Russ Devereux Headlight Project .
Those taking part are each challenged to raise £ 1,000 or more in sponsorship .
Bianca added : “ Our events raise awareness of the issue and change the assumption of what somebody forced into homelessness looks like .”
Those taking part in the sleepout are advised to bring a sleeping bag and wear warm clothes , while access will be given to hot drinks and toilets throughout the night . But Bianca warns that it ’ s no easy ride . “ I ’ m not promising anyone a good night ’ s sleep ,” she admitted . “ Anyone who has taken part will testify that it ’ s not the easiest of challenges , but there ’ s plenty of camaraderie and banter . They wake up feeling absolutely brilliant about what they ’ ve done . And it is easier than running a marathon !”
To sign up for the sleepout on Thursday May 2 , visit ceosleepoutuk .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 23