When we met the team at 1625 Independent People, a year ago now, I instantly knew it was a charity our team would love to work with. The work they do and the vision they have was so inspirational and I was instantly passionate about doing something to help them and show support for our community. The team at Speed are always eager to support our chosen charity with fundraising and volunteering, so I was keen to hear about the opportunities they offered. When I heard about the Sleep Out, an event where individuals and businesses give up their bed for one night to help raise awareness of youth homelessness and to support 1625, I knew it was the one for our team – and luckily they agreed!
So, last week six of us wrapped up warm and headed to Lloyds Amphitheatre for the biggest annual fundraising event for 1625. It was such a wonderful experience to see so many people coming together to support the charity, and the best part of the evening was listening to a few personal stories of the young people the charity has helped. The support is far reaching, not just the immediate need of ensuring a safe place to sleep, and the young people also spoke about amazing experiences they have had like climbing and camping and the emotional and mental health support they have received.
Dom Wood, the CEO at 1625, shared with us that the number of people we see sleeping rough on the streets of Bristol accounts for just 3% of homelessness in the city, a staggering statistic which brings home the scale of the need to support young people who don’t have a safe place to sleep tonight.
After a fun evening hearing from the young people and chatting to the other attendees, it was time to settle down on the cold floor and make a bed for the night. Although one night of sleeping out doesn’t come close to replicating the harsh experience of being homeless, it certainly gave us a taste of what it could be like. We were relatively lucky with the weather, but even the light overnight drizzle made it difficult to stay dry. I can’t say there was a lot of ‘sleep’ at the Sleep Out, but it definitely made an impression on me and something I am so glad that I took part in, especially with my Speed buddies.
And the best news is that so far we have raised £1,120 – there is still time to donate here: 1625 Independent People: Sleep Out 2024