YMCA Derbyshire is calling on businesses across the city and county to come together and spend a night sleeping under the stars to support local people most in need.
YMCA Derbyshire is one of several YMCAs across the country that have joined forces to raise awareness of homelessness during the national YMCA Sleep Easy Week, running from 8 to 15 March.
The week will see participants sleep out for one night across England and Wales to raise
awareness of homelessness and vital funds to support those who find themselves at risk of
homelessness.
YMCA Derbyshire’s event will take place at the Incora County Ground home of Derbyshire County Cricket Club on Friday 8 March 2024. Registration costs £10 for those in full-time employment and £5 for all others.
Each year the event brings together upwards of 100 participants who challenge themselves to sleep out for one night, so others don’t have to. Last year’s event raised just under £30,000 and these funds were directed to YMCA Derbyshire’s changing lives fund.
This fund enabled the charity to provide a whole host of youth and community provision to enable those they support to move along their positive pathways.
Over the twelve months YMCA housed 272 individuals with 88 moving on to independent living, 61 entering formal education, 7 going to university, 74 attending a job interview and 59 gaining employment.
This year’s event will raise vital funds to continue and expand the work that YMCA do, including their new service Padley@YMCA Derbyshire which has been born from a merger of Padley Group into YMCA Derbyshire in July 2023.
Funds raised will enable YMCA to provide vital youth and community provision including
therapeutic counselling, activities at Wilmorton community allotments, physical sports sessions, support entering work-based programmes and volunteering opportunities.
Padley@YMCA Derbyshire will be moving to a new Community Hub, here they will continue to offer and grow their traditional services for individuals; warm meals, activities to combat
loneliness and isolation, shower facilities and community pantry but will also develop their
provision to meet the evolving need of the city.
New services will enable members of the community who are unable to access food provision to have a place to use community kitchens to cook their own food for their families, have access to a laundrette alongside opportunities to learn through training and education and volunteering opportunities.
Gillian Sewell, CEO of YMCA Derbyshire, said: “We are extremely grateful to every individual, family and business that gets behind our Sleep Easy events, either through participating or sponsors others to do so, its truly down to the funds raised at events such as this that we can achieve such positive outcomes for the people we serve.
“With the emerging cost of living crisis we are seeing a significant increase in those experiencing poverty and or at risk of homelessness we are hoping to make Sleep Easy 2024 our biggest event yet, but we need your help.
“We urge individuals, families and businesses to come together and spend one night sleeping out so others don’t have to. We often say it’s the most unusual networking event you’ll attend all year. One night really can make a life time difference to those who need it most.”
People interested in taking part in YMCA Derbyshire’s Sleep Easy can find out more by visiting www.ymcaderbyshire.org.uk/sleepeasy or by calling 01332 579550 to speak with the fundraising team.
