Sleep Out will help homeless families

May 9 2008 Chester Chronicle

SOME of the region’s key employers are preparing to sleep under the stars and raise funds for homeless families.

Participants from several of the area’s top firms will be joining homelessness charity Save the Family on the streets of Chester as it stages its first sponsored Sleep Out.

The charity, which provides emergency accommodation, training and support to struggling families, is hoping to raise both funds and awareness during the event at Chester Cathedral.

The Sleep Out, which coincides with International Day of Families, is open to individuals and organisations. The May 16 fundraiser will be held in the Dean’s field and participants will have access to toilets and hot drinks. Unilever has pledged its support by donating soup and supplies.

Ian Oulton, Save the Family chief executive, said: “We felt staging a sleep out would be a perfect opportunity for our supporters to discover for themselves the harsh reality of having nowhere to stay.”

Andrew Donaldson, of BiG Storage, which will provide cardboard boxes for the participants, added: “Save the Family is a great cause and extremely worthy of support. Homelessness can affect anybody.”

An entry fee of £15 (£50 for teams of up to five people) covers insurance, staffing and equipment. For details contact Gemma Ryder on 01244 333490 or e-mail gemma.ryder@savethefamily.uk.com