7th March 2011

Alabaré sleepers brave the cold in North Wiltshire

Brave volunteers have shown their support for Alabaré by camping out at a number of venues across Wiltshire.

On Friday (4th March) a group of 12 dedicated young people dug out their sleeping bags and curled up in the porch of All Saints Church in Westbury supervised by three group leaders.

St Peters Church in Codford also held a sponsored sleep in. This was the first time that the Church had been used as the venue for the sleep in, although many of the sleepers had taken part at other Alabaré Sleep Outs in previous years. This year 16 people took to the cold hard floor for the night including 4 children.

Between the two events Alabaré is hoping to have raised over £2,500 for their Drop In Centres for homeless and vulnerable people in Trowbridge and Salisbury.

In Westbury, this is what one sleeper had to say about their experience:
“It was very cold -4 degrees but we all completed the sleepout. We had soup and rolls for supper and the young people played some card games and we finished the evening with prayers and readings reflecting on the plight of homeless. We were also treated to breakfast in the Rectory, for which we were all very grateful.”

There were also three other sleep out/ins held in Wiltshire at the weekend:

Salisbury Cathedral – Salisbury. This was the largest event held and saw some 80 people camp down for the night in the Cathedral’s cloisters.

St Thomas Church – Salisbury. This was a smaller scale event which saw a dedicated few curl up in the porch for the night.

Porton Church – Porton. This event was organised by young people from the Bourne Valley Churches and was hailed a huge success by all.

The sleep out events are a chance to give people a very brief insight into some of the challenges faced by rough sleepers at the same time as raising awareness about the work that Alabaré does and raising funds for local projects.

Where the money is going
The money raised at the Salisbury Cathedral sleep out and the other events across Wiltshire (unless otherwise requested) will go towards Alabaré’s Wiltshire Drop In Centres in Salisbury and Trowbridge.

The Drop in centres in Trowbridge and Salisbury offer a warm and welcoming safe daytime shelter for vulnerable adults who are homeless, facing homelessness or living in unsuitable accommodation. They provide hot meals and drinks, showers, laundry facilities and a clothing exchange service. They also offer support and advice on housing and employment.

Beyond Wiltshire
It wasn’t just across Wiltshire that Alabaré sleep out/ins took place, there were also events held in Hampshire, Dorset and Bristol:

King Arthur’s Hall – Andover, Hampshire. The second sleep out to be held here.
Nothe Fort – Weymouth, Dorset. Our first event in the historic military fort.
Pip n Jay’s Church – Bristol. In association with BCAN Homelessness Forum.

The money raised at these events will go towards the work of Alabaré projects local to them.