More than 140 people slept on the 12th Floor of Pier Road car park last Friday night to raise money for local homeless charity, Sanctuary Trust.
It was the biggest turnout the charity has had for its annual fundraiser, now in its fifth year, and so far it looks on track to raise at least £35,000.
Tim Ringsdore, Chair of Sanctuary Trust commented: “It’s been a really tough year for so many, and particularly for the charity sector, so we are really grateful to everyone who took part and to all those who supported them.
“As we don’t currently receive government funding, we rely on fundraising events, donations and grants to cover our annual operating costs, which are now in the region of £550,000. So, every pound that islanders have donated so far is very much needed and we can’t thank all those who have contributed enough, whether sleeping out, volunteering their time or their services, or donating – without this support we simply couldn’t open our doors.”
The oldest person to sleep out on Friday night was 74 years of age and the youngest just eight. A group of more than 25 young people from Pathways also took part, along with employees from at least ten different finance firms and other local companies.
Volunteers ran a soup kitchen and tuckshop for people sleeping out and Vini Jones from Grace Trust played an acoustic guitar set, including a song he wrote for Sanctuary Trust.
Sarah Tumelty, Sanctuary Trust’s General Manager, said: “The atmosphere on Friday night was really special and thought-provoking for so many. We were heartened by the number of islanders who chose to swap their warm beds for the concrete car park floor to raise awareness about homelessness and to support the work we do. Current and former residents also spent the night and helped with the event.
“We have a long list of ‘thank yous’ to all the people and businesses that made this year such a success; Andium Homes our main sponsor, Parking Control for use of the car park, Highlands College, Grainville School and Fungi Delecti for our Soup Kitchen, Cooper & Co for our breakfast and JMD Secure for providing overnight security, as well as all our volunteers.”
The charity’s fundraising page will remain open until 30 November 2023.
Pictured: Team Hawksford
