AFC Fylde Community Foundation is working in partnership with The Salvation Army to host the first Big Sleep Out event at Mill Farm on Friday, 17 November 2023.
The event will help raise awareness and highlight issues faced by homeless people locally, with participants to spend one night braving the elements under the North Stand terrace at the home of AFC Fylde. You must be over 18 to take part in The Big Sleep Out.
To highlight the issues facing homeless people across Fylde, we have teamed up with the Salvation Army for The Big Sleep Out.
We are encouraging Coasters’ supporters, community organisations and local businesses to get involved by supporting the Foundation and The Salvation Army on the night.
The North Stand will be open from 7pm on Friday, 17 November 2023 until 7am on Saturday, 18 November 2023, with those taking part raising essential funds for the Community Foundation and The Salvation Army for an important issue.
Those participating in The Big Sleep Out are advised to wear warm and appropriate clothing for the night and bring a sleeping bag, with a hot breakfast roll, tea and coffee provided in the morning following the event.
Homelessness has continued to be an issue within the Fylde borough, with recent figures suggesting that 256 families were accepted as being homeless, while hundreds of people are sleeping rough in our local community.
Wesley Partington, Foundation Director of AFC Fylde Community Foundation, said: “We’re looking forward to hosting our first Big Sleep Out event at Mill Farm in partnership with The Salvation Army on Friday, 17 November 2023.
“It will provide an experience of what homeless people go through every day – It’s an important issue that is prominent in our local area, and we feel that our Big Sleep Out can help tackle and raise awareness of homelessness in Fylde.
“We are proud to support our local Salvation Army and the positive impact that they continue to have across Fylde.”
Captain John Clifton, Church Leader of the Blackpool Salvation Army, which runs a day centre for rough sleepers across the Fylde Coast, The Bridge Project, added: “We’re thankful to AFC Fylde for opening its stadium doors to raise awareness of such an important issue as homelessness, which affects so many across the Fylde coast.
“Most of us have never been homeless or slept outside and wondered how we will keep warm throughout the bitter temperatures as the hours pass, but by spending one night without luxuries and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone, we can provide a small insight into a big reality that many face daily and the conditions they have to endure.
“The money raised from this event will go towards enabling The Salvation Army to continue the work we do daily, helping the most vulnerable members of our community.
“We can all come together as one in the fight against homelessness, which reinforces the message that there is support out there, and with that support, the cycle of homelessness can be broken.”
If you want to get involved in The Big Sleep Out, please contact Michael.Whittle@afcfylde.co.uk!
Our Big Sleep Out JustGiving page can be found by CLICKING HERE
