Sleeping Out, Standing Together: The Big Sleep Recap

The Big Sleep took place on The University of Leicester campus on the 25th of March, and it went amazingly. But for anyone who hasn’t heard us harping on about it for the past couple months, let’s go over it one last time: What is The Big Sleep?

The Big Sleep is an annual fundraiser put on by The Bridge Homelessness to Hope in order to attain essential funds that keep our charity running, so that we can continue to support those experiencing homelessness. It involves sleeping outside for a night, just you, your sleeping bag, and some cardboard. As well as raising money, it raises awareness, as people who get involved come away with a slightly better understanding of what rough sleepers have to go through every single night.

It was a very humbling experience. We were lucky it wasn't minus degrees or raining. At about 1 am the dawn mist made everything wet and my 67 year old bones definitely didn’t like cardboard for a mattress. Imagining someone forced to do this every night is heartbreaking. We felt safe because the campus had security people taking care of us and we were surrounded by like minded people. The thought of being alone in a doorway on the streets or under the stairway of a public car park is frightening.

The planning of this event started long ago, when we all returned to the office from our Christmas break. From there we worked with staff from The University of Leicester and their Students Union to organise the set up, available volunteers, and premises for the welcome speech and Q&A. We had local comedian Kevin Hudson sign up, and as he worked his way towards raising over £1000 for us, he also agreed to perform a comedy sketch to the sleepers on the night - a wonderful way to keep spirits high before getting ready for a cold night's sleep.

We shared our Enthuse page with everyone both on socials, and in person, and then we did it again … and again! Slowly our numbers grew, and some teams pledged to match- fund their totals! Others weren’t able to join us on the night, but became sponsors of The Big Sleep and helped us spread the word. We wanted to say a huge thank you to the teams, Saffron Eyecare, Welcomm Communications Limited, UOL Students Union, Howes Percival, Heidelberg Materials UK, and Defensor Life Safety Systems. We also wanted to thank our sponsors, Heidelberg Materials UK, Dupli, Shoezone, and Howes Percival.

While the last few donations are still coming in, we can already say that we have smashed our target of £15,000! With 680 donors, and a record breaking 50+ fundraisers we’ve managed to raise £27,000+! This money is essential to keeping our doors open, and will help see us through the next year of funding all our services, from providing hot meals, computer and wifi access, and case workers, to other less exciting things like paying the rent for the building, keeping up with maintenance and repairs, and insurance. As we saw a 50% increase in visits between 2023 to 2024, our services are needed now more than ever,  and we strive to meet the growing demands.

It felt really good to be supporting such a wonderful charity, and has sparked up conversations with my family and friends when raising awareness by asking for donations. I felt safe even if I was cold and uncomfortable at times, which put into perspective how fortunate I am as I have a roof over my head, a comfy bed to sleep in which can all be taken for granted.

If you wish to donate, but have missed the window, you can always give to The Bridge throughout the year at: https://thebridgehomelessnesstohope.enthuse.com/cp/52e0d/donate#!/