Wakefield Sleepout 2018

On Friday 3rd August our second Wakefield Sleepout took place at the Hepworth in Wakefield. We had a truly fantastic and insightful night, with over 30 people attending.

After the everyone had arrived we sat down for a talk from Gordon Laing, the General Manager at Simon on the Streets. Gordon discussed homelessness in West Yorkshire, the issues and the difficulties rough sleepers face on the streets and the work that Simon on the Streets does. This was followed by a Q&A session, with our audience asking thoughtful and insightful questions. One attendee, who had come to the event on their own, told the group how anxious they had felt coming alone, as they would not know who they were bedded down next to, and said that this experience had helped them understand, in a small way, how anxious and scared rough sleepers must feel.

The night continued with a musical quiz and a curry: thank you to the individuals who provided these.

After the curry everyone began to bed down for the night. Whilst the sleepout does not try to replicate what is like to sleep, homeless on the streets, the cold concrete floor, with only a piece of cardboard and a sleeping bag for comfort, was intended to give a taster of how it feels to sleep outside. One of our attendees said: "Sleeping out was THE most powerful experience on a cold concrete surface. Hearing noises in the night".

Our thanks to everyone who came to the Wakefield sleepout and helped raise valuable funds for Simon on the Streets to help us continue our work supporting entrenched rough sleepers. A special thank you to our wonderful supporter Debbie Melton who organised this great event. Thank you so much Debbie!