If you have ever wondered what it’s like to spend a night sleeping rough in a car park, then take a look at CEF’s latest video which shows a group of their senior managers doing just that.
Part of the Big Sleepout, the group spent a cold and wet November evening sleeping rough to raise money for St Basils, a charity that works with young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness across the Midlands.
The video shows how the group coped with wind and rain throughout the evening, but more importantly it raises the issue of homelessness amongst young people.
Charlie Beddows, managing director of CEF, says: “The evening was a reality check for all of us but it was for an extremely worthwhile cause and I hope that this video will help to raise awareness of the great work which St Basil’s does. St Basil’s has helped over 4,000 people to break the cycle of homelessness in the last year alone and they continue to provide much needed support to young people who find themselves in this situation.”
Three tonnes of cardboard and 1600m2 of plastic sheeting were put to use in the course of the evening to construct a variety of shelters which included a CEF branch and van. But as the CEF team discovered, these were no match for the elements and as the rain continued to pour the appreciation of what it is like to be homeless really sunk in.
Beddows continued: “The community spirit throughout the evening was fantastic and this is really apparent in the video which shows everyone working together to survive the evening. It also highlights the point that it does take a whole community to look after homeless young people and that only by supporting charities like St Basil’s can we hope to make a difference.”
The CEF team raised over £24,000 by taking part in the Big Sleepout. To see how they got on and to experience the challenges young people have to face while living on the streets, click on the video link below.
http://www.cef.co.uk/blog/1727-2015-st-basils-bigsleepout
If you want to make a donation, you still can by visiting the CEF Just Giving page: justgiving.com/cefsleepout/, or you can find more information about the charity at Stbasils.co.uk