51Âþ»­

Students and staff are being invited to join ‘The Big Sleep’ at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) and help raise money for a homelessness charity.

The event will start on Tuesday 28 March at 8pm and students and staff will sleep on campus, outside the 51Âþ»­ Food Village, until 8am on Wednesday 29 March.

Anyone taking part will be sent a fundraising pack and cash raised will go to The Bridge Homelessness to Hope. a well-being charity which helps with housing, mental health support, community support and therapeutic work with the city’s homeless.

Lawrence Robertson, Civic and Community Engagement Officer at 51Âþ»­, said taking part was an opportunity for students and staff to give back to the community they live and work in.

“This is an opportunity for us all to raise money for a good cause but also offers an insight into what it is like to have to sleep out for a night,” he said.

“I am not saying we will know what it will be like to be homeless. If it rains we will be able to go inside and there will be cups of tea and biscuits available at midnight…but it is an experience and a reminder of the luxuries we have, such as food and shelter, that many people don’t.

 “We want to encourage students and staff to be good citizens and take an active role in improving our community. As an institution we aim to be an empowering university and help create a fairer society. This is one of the many ways we want to get involved.”

Anyone who enrols will be sent a fundraising pack via email which they can share with family and friends and help raise funds. People can also join as a team, such as a student society, sports team or staff group.

Fundraisers are asked to bring a sleeping bag for the night spent outside the Food Village. Lawrence and his team will be providing cardboard to sleep on.

Representatives from The Bridge will join The Big Sleep to give a talk and run a Q&A to explain its work and the issues homeless people face on the streets of Leicester.

The University of Leicester will also be hosting The Big Sleep event on their campus at the same time.