PoliticsUK's Big Sleepout for St Basil's
Written by Richard Frazer
This is an event that has become a regular presence in the Birmingham charity calender. I have decided to make the opening blog simply a narrative about the event we are looking to support.
St Basil's will be staging the event called The Big SleepOut 2012 on Friday 30th November.
Volunteers represented PoliticsUK at the event in 2011 and raised over £350 for the charity and has decided to represent once again in 2012 and will look to raise at least 3 times that this year.
We have chosen this charity for its amazing work in the City of Birmingham, keeping the city’s streets largely free you Homeless young people at night. To do this is very expensive and this organisation surprisingly exists purely through the goodwill of volunteers and raised charity money. There is no government support.
In fact the issues of homeless people in the cities are largely neglected at government level and it is important that organisations like ourselves work with charities such as St Basil's to keep this subject on the tables of our MP's, our councillors and in the minds of the public.
If you can't think of anything or worse than seeing someone you know sleeping rough in the centre of Birmingham support this course as people are doing it all over the country as I write this email.
We will be doing this for just one night.
It will be enlightening and challenging as all we will have to shelter in is a bit of cardboard and possibly some plastic and masking tape. It will be at the coldest time of year so please give to St Basil's. The links are below:
Please note each of the members of the group involved will have their own virginmoneygiving.com pages and are likely to write about their own experiences.
Event: Friday 30th November
Location: St Basils car park, Allcock Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B9 4DY.
What is the Big Sleepout? The principle for the Big SleepOut is people volunteering to roughing it for a night, to help raise awareness about homelessness and raise money to help prevent homelessness. This event is not an exercise in 'what it's like to be homeless, it is designed to show what might happen on the streets if St Basil's work is not maintained. St Basil's is wholly a charity yet is largely responsible for Birmingham having few rough sleepers, and helps support and bring awareness to a situation which is largely under the governments and peoples radar. Funds are as always extremely low to do what needs to be done.
The
St Basil's Big SleepOut takes place on
Friday 30th November at the St Basil's car park, which is in the heart of Birmingham's Art Quarter.
Who are St Basil's? They are an organisation that offer help and advice to around 4000 young people per year. They work across Birmingham, Solihull and North Worcestershire to prevent youth homelessness by providing a range of support services and supported accommodation. A lot of their work is with young people aged 16 – 25 including some young mums and dads, so at anytime housed within our projects there may be babies, toddlers and young children as well.
2010’s event just to show you it is not a bed of roses:
http://www.stbasils.org.uk/Fundraising/Big+SleepOutPlease give and help those less fortunate and those who have fallen through the seams of our society. Please also spread the word of the Charity and raise awareness that these issues still exist in our society and last please do not forget about this and be an ambassador for a more inclusive and supportive community.
Richard
