Friday 28 February 2020 – LandAid’s first ever SleepOut series in Birmingham, Bristol and London has raised over £310,000, the funds of which will go to local charities such as local charity St. Basil’s in Birmingham, 1625 Independent People in the South West and the Cardinal Hume Centre in London, all of whom provide vital services to young people in London.
Last night concluded the SleepOut series, with 310 property professionals braving the cold overnight at The Oval in London. Participants were joined by Alex Price, CEO of Fiera Real Estate UK, London’s regional sponsors. To celebrate reaching a fundraising target of £2,500, Alex agreed to host a speech in fancy dress. Prior to the SleepOut, those who had donated were asked to vote for their favourite, the winner being a scuba costume including flippers!
The first ever LandAid SleepOut series saw 525 professionals from 162 property companies, including Carter Jonas, Paragon and Gerald Eve come together to raise valuable funds to support young people facing homelessness in each city.
The LandAid SleepOut has been supported by headline sponsors Hammerson and Knight Frank. Regional supporters include TFT who kindly sponsored LandAid’s Bristol SleepOut, and Fiera Real Estate who were regional sponsors for LandAid’s SleepOut in London. A huge thank you to our sponsors, without whom, the series would not have been possible.
During last night’s SleepOut in London, participants were joined by George O’Neill, Chief Executive from the Cardinal Hume Centre, who spoke to participants about the impact that their fundraising was making and the importance of providing safe homes for vulnerable young people.
LandAid would like to say a huge thank you to all the events partners Edgbaston Stadium, Ashton Gate Stadium and The Oval who very kindly lent the venues for the SleepOut series. The event also received over 1,000 cardboard boxes from Crown Workspace.
Paul Morrish, LandAid Chief Executive, says: ‘A big thank you to everyone who braved the freezing cold and slept out during our LandAid SleepOut series. An incredible amount has been raised by professionals across the property industry. Every penny raised will go towards LandAid’s mission to end youth homelessness.
After sleeping out at every point in this series, in Birmingham, Bristol and London. It’s been almost too cold at times and I did not sleep well. However, these three nights sleeping outside do not replicate the true reality of rough sleeping that faces thousands of young people all over the country. With the efforts of hundreds across the property industry, we have raised enough funds to be able to make a real difference to those who facing homelessness, by providing safe and secure accommodation.’
Mark Bourgeois, Managing Director UK & Ireland, Hammerson, said: ‘We at Hammerson are extremely pleased to have sponsored the LandAid SleepOut series in Birmingham, Bristol and London. By bringing the event to three locations across the country, cities in which we have community partners and significant investments, we are pleased to have raised awareness and funds for such an important issue. In total, LandAid have raised £310,000 and we at Hammerson are delighted to have been a part of this incredible effort to end youth homelessness.’
Alistair Elliott, Senior Partner and Group Chairman, Knight Frank, said: ‘Knight Frank is delighted to have had the opportunity to sponsor the LandAid SleepOut Series, which we believe to be the stand-out initiative to raise awareness for youth homelessness in the UK. The SleepOuts in Birmingham, Bristol and last night in London were all as special as the last, and we at Knight Frank are proud to have brought the property industry together for such an urgent cause.’
Alex Price, Chief Executive, Fiera Real Estate, said: ‘Fiera Real Estate are proud to take part and sponsor the LandAid SleepOut, to help raise funds to end youth homelessness. Thanks to your generous fundraising and I had the pleasure of speaking to the crowd dressed up in a scuba suit – but it is all worth it to raise valuable funds to provide accommodation for young people experiencing homelessness in London. There are too many people without a home, but it is by coming together at events such as this that we can change that.’