BIG SLEEP OUT 6 RAISES MORE £11K!

Participants of the sixth instalment of the Big Sleep Out have raised £11,400 for local homeless charities and the Foundation’s Breakfast Clubs.

On Friday 24 March, 69 people – a good mix of first-time attendees and some who were taking part for a sixth time – took to the John Smith’s Stadium to imitate an eye-opening evening of sleeping rough.

Arriving at 9pm, participants made dens and makeshift beds with cardboard on the rows of the Chadwick Lawrence Stand and set up for the night. To ease them into the feeling they were kept warm with hot drinks and soup until they settled down for the night.

Conditions on the night saw heavy rainfall and strong winds that ripped through several people’s stations at 3am.

At 6am, participants were rewarded with more hot drinks and a bacon butty before packing up and leaving the JSS.

Whilst these people were able to go back to their homes in the morning, there are still many that face destitution each day.

That is why 50% of the money that has been raised will be distributed across several charities across Kirklees that support those who are homeless.

The other half of the funds raised will go towards the Foundation’s Breakfast Clubs which have served over 2.2 million meals across 40 schools in the Kirklees area since their inception in 2012.

This year’s fundraising means that the total number across all six of our Big Sleep Out events has surpassed £170,000 since its inauguration in 2018.

On the event, the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Siobhan Atkinson said:

“It was certainly a cold and windy evening for everyone. It was my fourth time sleeping out and I can confirm it was the toughest!

“What gets you through the evening is meeting people who all have such kindness to come and help raise funds for all very worthwhile causes.

“The funds raised really help our Breakfast Clubs at a time when the cost of living is really biting and to help fellow charities across Kirklees.

“I’m so grateful Kirklees and the fan base of Huddersfield Town is such a wonderful community particularly those who were completing their sixth Big Sleep Out. We now look forward to BSO 7 in 2024!

“Having raised over £170k so far, it really is a fantastic example of a football club and its fans doing amazing work!”

We would like to place on record our thanks to everyone that has donated this year, and to our amazing participants who braved the cold and spearheaded their own campaigns to raise funds.

If you are considering making a late donation, CLICK HERE for the link to our general donations page!

Should you have an enquiry about the fundraising that we do, please email help@htafcfoundation.com for more information.