On Thursday 2nd March 2023, the TFT team took part in the LandAid SleepOut, raising money to help end youth homelessness.

The SleepOut is a regular fixture in our calendars, in which we sign up to spend the night sleeping (or trying to sleep) outside, getting an insight to the conditions which many homeless people have no choice but to endure. This year was as challenging and rewarding as ever!

Thank you to the 13 people who took on the challenge: Jack Holland, Aditi Kumar, James Williams, Paul Skennerton, Marc Hill, Jay Ridings, Chris Keates Lewis, Gareth Barry, Robin Holme, Lisa Gunn, Denitsa Cherneva, Michael Wheeler and Dan Henn, who slept out at LandAid venues and at home around the country.

And this year had a twist, as LandAid challenged us to craft our own SleepOut ‘bed’ with just a sheet of cardboard! Deni Cherneva was up for the challenge, using her design skills to score second place, with a cosy bedroom setup…apart from the draughts!  

Most importantly, our one night in the cold helped LandAid raise more than £4,000 towards their total, which is now approaching £600,000! So a little bit of discomfort goes a long way to providing shelter for thousands of young people who would otherwise face the elements year-round.

Following the SleepOut, our team members had a lot to say about their experience, here are some of the thoughts they shared:

“It was exceedingly cold, and even more noisy. Sleeping alongside 432 others, makes you aware of how many people snore (about 80%) and the different tunes they play! 😊 So worthwhile – apparently best part of £600k raised from all locations! TFT were runners up in the best bedding design – well done Deni with her amazing talents. We were beaten by The Royal Household who created a Windsor Castle lookalike – very impressive.”

– Chris Keates Lewis, HR & Operations Partner

“It was how I imagined it would sound being part of an invading Viking army. Funny the things you think of when sleeping out! Well done everyone, great effort!”

– Jay Ridings, Partner

“A massive thank you to the staff who put in the hours to make it happen, and much respect to the charities who do the important work with the money we raise. I’m looking forward to seeing the progress on the refurbishment works for Kingsley Hall, which 1625 Independent Bristol are undertaking with the funds raised by our Bristol sleepers!”

– Paul Skennerton, Head of Communications

A huge well done to everyone who took part and a massive thank you to everyone who supported us by donating.

If you would like to donate you can still do so by clicking here: https://join.landaid.org/fundraisers/TFTSleepOut2023

Now, who’s up for SleepOut 2024?!