10th Year Anniversary Sleep Out Success!

Our annual BIG Sleep Out which involves participants getting sponsored to sleep out under the stars with no shelter, just cardboard & sleeping bags, celebrated it’s 10-year anniversary and was a great success.

Even though we were lucky with a drier night than was forecasted, it was considerably colder than last year which presented a challenge for some of our participants. Although the event is not intending to replicate the harsh realities of homelessness, it does show some of the difficulties a rough sleeper may face. However it's core purpose is to help raise awareness and much needed funds to help support our work with the homeless throughout Somerset.  

Seeing a decline in attendance numbers in recent years, it was great to have so many people involved again this year. The event was well supported by local organisations and businesses. Carpet Warehouse Taunton was our main sponsor this year and their generous donation enabled us to increase our event marketing. With RH Fibreboard donating the cardboard for participants to sleep on, and AC Security Southwest staying up all night to keep everyone safe. Our neighbours Crescent Funeral Services provided tea & coffees and we served up traditional camping food of stew, baked potatoes and soup, kindly supplied by Cooks Puddings & Loafers to help keep everyone warm. We would like to say an extra thank you to Ben from Loafers who not only donated the breakfast baps to those that survived the night, but got up at 6.00am to cook them for us too!

We were delighted to be joined by 6 amazing local artists who all donated their time for free to support our cause by performing throughout the evening. Maya Yon, Ben from the Atomic Kitten, Daniel Amatiello, Stevie Nicole Brown, Ryder Emcee and Sam Cockram, all provided excellent performances and ensured we had something for everyone. Thank you also to The Space who have been providing the sound and lighting equipment for the event for many years.

Following on from feedback received from last year’s participants, we introduced a new wellbeing area to this year’s event, providing an opportunity for attendees to get involved with activities and meet others taking part too. We found this was a perfect addition to the Sleep Out, which was enjoyed by the many families who took part. Thank you to Dion from Art Hopper Events who ran the family craft sessions and Amber Grace who ran the Yoga class. 

Lynda Marshall who slept out in her wheelchair with her support Dog Herman said “I would never have thought I would ever reach the ripe old age of 60, on 22 June 2024, a week after the Big Sleep Out! I found myself homeless at 18 and with help and support in 1994, after years of living on the street and in lodgings, I was given my own home. I wanted to take part in the sleep out and asked for donations instead of birthday presents, as I deeply empathize with those without a home and by raising money for Arc, I am giving others ‘hope’ that they too one day can have somewhere they call their 'home' too."
 
Huge thank you to everyone who took part this year. You did an incredible thing by taking on the challenge to help change lives whilst you slept. You are making a huge difference to the lives of those experiencing homelessness in Somerset and we can’t thank you enough for your support.

If you fancy taking part in our 2025 Sleep Out, next years event is taking place on the 7^th of June!