SLEEP OUT SUCCESS

BIG Sleep Out 2023 you were AWESOME! 

On Friday 9th June, over 30 people gave up their beds for the night to take part in our Big Sleep Out, spending their night sleeping in our car park with no shelter. We may have been lucky with dry and warm weather, but it was certainly not a comfortable night, with the hard ground beneath us and plenty of surrounding sound to keep us awake! (Let us tell you – gulls do not sleep!) 

We all felt very grateful that we didn’t have to face that night after night and could all return to our comfy beds and warm homes the following morning to catch up on rest. Imagine facing life without that option, or being at risk of losing your home that brings you so much comfort and security.  

Our wonderful big sleep out participants raised funds to help those that face that trauma, and with that support, Arc will do all we can to act quickly when someone faces homelessness and get help organised. Despite the sleepless night, we had a great evening thanks to lots of incredible support from local people and businesses: 
We had a great line up of live music from local artists: Luis Martelo Trumpeter, Take Two, Ben from The Atomic Youth, Emily Jean Vocalist and Sam Cockram.  

The lovely team at Space College lent us their equipment so we could all enjoy the music across the car park! 
RH Fibreboard kindly donated cardboard to sleep on, which doesn’t sound very comfy but it really does make a difference! We were lucky to be treated to delicious food provided by Loafers (Bath Place, Taunton) and COOK, alongside cakes made by our kitchen team. 

Crescent Funeral Services donated the tea and coffee supplies which were appreciated all night – but especially the following morning! JBL Creative joined us for the evening and captured some amazing video and photo content which we can’t wait to share with you all – stay tuned.  

AC Security South West kept us safe all night and kept watch whilst we tried to sleep! The Rapid Relief Team jumped into action at 6am and provided our wonderful participants with a very much needed cooked breakfast.  

Of course, a HUGE thank you goes to the amazing people who took part and fundraised and in doing so have made such a difference to those affected by homelessness.  

Couldn’t take part in the Big Sleep Out this year? Not to worry – it's an annual event and we can’t wait to see lots of you at June 2024’s sleep out!