Many Turn Out To Support Threshold’s BIG SWINDON SLEEPOUT For Homeless

Michael Keenan, Threshold’s Chief Development Officer, said of the event: “It was such an absolute pleasure hosting Threshold's BIG SWINDON SLEEPOUT, supported by our fantastic team of volunteers and event sponsors. We are pleased that so many people had the courage to brave the weather and the compassion to raise funds for the vital work that Threshold undertakes.

In every sense, this year’s event was the most successful Sleep Out the charity has ever hosted in our 47 years of working for Swindon’s homeless community. In terms of participants attending on the night, together with 22 Fire Cadets and supporters who gathered at the Swindon Fire Station, with ‘friends of threshold’ who joined satellite sleeper events’ in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, Zurich, Switzerland and Naples, Florida, we, therefore, saw 178 people participate in Swindon’s longest-running annual homeless solidarity event.

Every year participation and all forms of support grows, which is so encouraging. On the night £20,600 was pledged, but we typically see the amount donated rise as many of the people who expressed an interest in attending, but then couldn’t do so generally send in donations and as participants who did attend collect their pledged sponsorship money from family and friends they often come out way in excess of their anticipated sponsorship amount.

Also, there were groups of attendees from various Swindon faith communities, Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists and when they tell others in their faith community about their participation at the Sleep Out, then past experience has shown that we see far more financial support materialise. This year saw a record number of children attend the event and it was wonderful to see the passion and insight these young people brought to the fundraising they undertook for our local homeless population”.

Michael said, “It is impossible to create at an event like this a real sense of the suffering experienced by individuals who cannot wake up after a night on the streets and return to a home with a warm bed, food in the cupboards and a sense of security that being housed provides. Across the globe, Sleep Out events are held to raise awareness for local homeless issues and to raise crucial funds for the organisations struggling to support the homeless. The event this year was not nearly as rough as a night in a car park or sleeping in an alcove of a store front in the high street”.

“As participants arrived to register for the night entertainment was donated and provided by Christine Kinder, playing the most beautiful Harp, Bollywood dancers from the Swindon Hindu Temple performed as participants were nourished by delicious vegetarian onion bhajis, pakora's and vegetable samosa's and batata vada’s brought to share by our Hindu and Christian-Goan friends. Hot soups were also made and served by Gill Chapman and Linda Loveday. Attendees were also moved by the raw and emotive performance poetry by Matty Blades, who although now living independently, was previously homeless for 15 years before being assisted by Threshold some years ago. Barrie Matthews compered throughout the evening and ran a quiz event. Participants awoke the following day to a cooked breakfast sponsored and prepared by Gill Chapman, supported by Andrew Spinks, General Manager of The Village Hotel, who bought with him chef Luke Cattmore who together with volunteers all saw to it that nobody left hungry”.

Pradeep Bhardwaj said, “I am thankful for all the support provided by Threshold Housing Link for organising Threshold’s Big Swindon SleepOut 2019, to all the volunteers of the charity who do such amazing work throughout the year and specially at the event looking after so many of us, to all the sponsors for fundraising for the Homeless. I am also thankful to my lovely friends of Swindon Hindu Temple Team, Suresh Gattapur, Kumar Naik, Sunny Sunny, Sudha Sri, Aditi Sharma, Sakshi Jaiswal and Bhawna Goyal and to everyone who joined us at Supermarine Sports Club including our super-active Mayor of Swindon Kevin Parry and the super-human Michael Keenan”.

Louise Griffiths and her daughter Scarlett (8) said, “We would love to say a huge thank you for letting us be a part of such a great community event”. Saxone Trueman, who also attended with her children, said: “the girls absolutely loved it, it was so well organised, so well done”.

Matty Blades, a poet advocate for the homeless, said, “I met the most wonderful people. It was such a great event, great people turning out for such a great cause, what could be more important than that?”. Inspiration was abundant on the night as confirmed by Sharon Thomas who said, “I was truly inspired by this event”.

Andrew Hatcher, of Swindon Consultants, said, “I wasn't sure what to expect but what a good night. Luckily the rain stayed away and I stayed warm. Whilst it was fun it was a one off and am glad to be back in my warm house. Some people are not so lucky and the idea of being out night after night is a sobering thought. It's not too late to donate via Threshold’s website or via their Facebook event page!”

If you’d like to make a donation that can make a meaningful difference in local care provided to the homeless, now or at any time, please do so via, https://www.thl.org.uk/support-us/donate/