The Trinity Big Sleep Out 2022
Trinity Winchester is a charity which provides practical and emotional support for over 650 homeless or vulnerable people in Winchester each year. They hold several fundraising events throughout the year, from firewalks, to skydiving and sleeping out in the grounds of the cathedral. The money raised from their events is vital with it costing £100 a day to buy and provide meals for 50 people each day. In 2020, there were 95 homeless people in Winchester with 84 living in temporary accommodation and 8 people sleeping rough. Those sleeping rough experience some of the most severe health and social inequalities. With the help of charities like Trinity, the number of homeless people in Winchester is reducing over time.
On Friday 13 May, we hosted The Trinity Big Sleep Out for 2022. This is an eye-opening night where people can spend their night sleeping in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral to raise money and awareness to reduce homelessness. The event was full of entertainment throughout the evening with local music, dance groups, shelter building, raffles, food stalls, yoga classes and loads more. This event was open to all, with a range of sleepers from Scout Groups to families building fantastic castles, forts, anything you can imagine, all out of cardboard! When it came to 10pm this is when the doors of the cathedral closed and everyone settled down to go to sleep. To calm the high energy atmosphere, there was a bedtime story read by Dame Esther Rantzen who instantly settled down all the children. The next day, it was an early start, with the sunrise waking sleepers at 5am. Warm breakfast was served to prepare the sleepers for the day from a rough night, with pastries available too.
As a Winchester University student, studying Event Management, volunteering at Trinity’s Big Sleep Out allowed me to gain a great insight into how fundraising events are run. From the organisation and planning processes to the plans coming into action on the evening. Prior to the event, there were fortnightly committee meetings to plan this large family event. My involvement particularly focused on the marketing side of things, spreading the word of the event digitally and with flyers. Overall, it was a very enjoyable event with a very positive atmosphere from the start to finish. I would recommend anyone thinking of taking part in the Trinity Big Sleep Out next year to go for it as it’s a night to remember and raises money for such a great cause.
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