Devon residents tackle chilly overnight charity challenge

Over sixty individuals slept out at Exeter City Football Club to raise money and awareness for local charity Julian House on Friday 22nd March.

Julian House provides life-changing and life-saving support for people who are vulnerable or at-risk across Exeter and the South West of England. Their services reach the people who have been forced to live on the edges of society, offering them a route to something better.

Temperatures dropped, and there were heavy rain showers as people bedded down for the night with just sleeping bags, roll mats and cardboard on the cold concrete floor.

The event had huge support from pupils from schools across Devon, as well as teams from organisations such as Tesco and LiveWest. The Lord Mayor Cllr Kevin Mitchell and his Consort also kindly visited the event, to greet participants and thank them for taking on the challenge.

Event Organiser Annabelle said “Sleeping out for one night does not come close to the realities of homelessness. It does however give people the chance to empathise with those who are forced to sleep rough every night, as well as start a conversation about homelessness. Sponsorship is currently around £7500 which is amazing, and we’re expecting even more to come in.

Without events like these and the help of our supporters, we really could not provide our essential life-saving services. Thank you to everyone who took part!”

The event organisers would like to extend special thanks Exeter City Community Trust, Rapid Relief, Medsafe EMS and Tesco Exe Vale for their ongoing support each year.

Donations to the Big Exeter Sleep-Out can still be made here.