ludlowthompson: Centrepoint Sleep Out

On Thursday 11th November six hardy ludlowthompson employees braved the cold to raise awareness of the plight of homeless young people in the capital. Spirits were high, contrary to the temperature, as the team settled in for the night.

Despite being surrounded by a few famous faces and double the amount of fundraisers as last year, one team member admitted it was not the most comfortable experience: "it is not something that I would be wanting to do for more than one night, especially if I didn’t have the prospect of a warm bath to look forward to."
Others agreed, saying that they can understand why many homeless people turn to alcohol, saying "a few beers certainly help to numb you from the cold."

Centrepoint cited the evening, an annual event at Old Spitalfields Market, a huge success.
Seyi Obakin, Centrepoint’s CEO, said: “It’s great that so many people pledged to give up their beds for the night, to experience a small slice of sleeping rough. It is a cruel reality that thousands of young people face every day. Sadly, the big difference is those who are homeless will not have the luxury of heading home to shower and warm up the next morning. Sleep Out helps to highlight youth homelessness, but also provides vital funds to help give more homeless young people a safe place to sleep and opportunities that will help them become independent, so that they can start to build a brighter future.”

The Sleep Out saw more than 400 fundraisers take part this year and between them they managed to raise £150,000. This is a significant contribution towards the £0.5m total that Centrepoint aims to reach over the winter period.

The charity’s patron, HRH Prince William, commented “The more people who can understand the desolation caused by homelessness, the more Centrepoint can try to provide support to young people affected by it.”