LOCAL AMBASSADORS Sleep Out

 

LOCAL AMBASSADORS are organising a special Sleep Out charity fundraising event, asking people to spend one night ‘sleeping rough’ to raise money for Erdington’s food banks – which are an important lifeline for many struggling with the cost of living.

Held on Saturday 20 August, the secret location is in Erdington and will be managed by a safety team and Erdington Local volunteers. Read more below and help us raise money for this important cause.

Get involved and GIVE UP YOUR BED – HELP KEEP PEOPLE FED.

As the price of everything (except our wage packet) rises, so do our stress levels – and we are all feeling the pinch at the moment. But for those already living on the breadline anxiety is at an all-time high.

The government has warned this ‘cost of living crisis’ will carry on until at least autumn, leaving many people in utter despair and panic. According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) 76% of those questioned said the rising cost of food prices was a “major cause of concern”.

The Big Issue reported the amount of people in the UK relying on food banks has risen from 1 in 10 last year, to 1 in 6 this year – that’s 16% of the population. They also reported many food banks are running out of supplies and are now having to ration what they have.

LOCAL AMBASSADORS are organising a special Sleep Out fundraising events, to help support our local Erdington food banks.

On Saturday 20 August, we are asking you to GIVE UP YOUR BED – HELP KEEP PEOPLE FED and get sponsored to Sleep Out with us for a night.

You are welcome to come as a family, a sports group, a group of friends, or on your own, but every penny you raise will help local people in need and going hungry.

If you can’t join us on Saturday 20 August but still want to support our local food banks, you also donate directly to the LOCAL AMBASSADORS Sleep Out JustGiving page – click here.

Gerard Goshawk, Chair of Erdington Food Bank told us: “I am so delighted that Erdington Local is organising this Sleep Out. At Erdington Food Bank we are experiencing higher and higher demand as more and more people struggle to make ends meet.

“There are various factors which make life so hard for the people who need to access us: the harshness of the Universal Credit system, rising food prices, fuel costs, and the regular pressures of life. So, the community support and financial contribution made towards our work through the Sleep Out is very much appreciated. Thank you so much!”

What you will need to do to get involved:

To join in with the LOCAL AMBASSADORS Sleep Out on Saturday, 20 August, the first step is to register your place by emailing our LOCAL AMBASSADORS lead, Estelle Murphy: stella@erdingtonlocal.com

Once the team have got you registered and verified, you can download an official Sleep Out sponsorship form, and start raising money.

You can also download the Sleep Out rules and guidance notes – including details on where and when the Sleep Out will be taking place.

Alternatively, physical copies can be posted out to you – just ask on of the LOCAL AMBASSADORS whilst going through the registration process.

For the safety of those taking part, full details of the event will only be given to people who have registered – and only after registration will people be allowed access to the event.

Sponsorship forms must also be handed in to the LOCAL AMBASSADORS team on the night for them to mark as completed and verified – this will confirm to your sponsors you have completed the Sleep Out and collection of and money is valid.

There will also be a feature about the LOCAL AMBASSADORS Sleep Out going into the Erdington Local newspaper on the website – so you can thank all the people who sponsored you, and we can thank everyone for taking part.

Get involved on Saturday 20 August and GIVE UP YOUR BED – HELP KEEP PEOPLE FED.

Click below for a Sleep Out sponsorship form (password protected):

 

Click below for the Sleep Out rules and guidence notes (password protected):

 

Click here or on the logo below to dontate via the LOCAL AMBASSADORS JustGiving page.