On Friday the 12th of October, six of our team braved the wind, rain and cold to join the Liverpool Sleepout 2018, spending the night in the grounds of a churchyard to raise money for our nominated charity, which helps homeless people in and around Liverpool.
This year was the fifth annual sleepout, organised by The Whitechapel Centre. It saw 100 people sleep out overnight,equipped with cardboard boxes, tarpaulins and sleeping bags, to get some idea of the life an increasing number of people are having to live. Gaskells have been supporting the charity for the past 12 months, both financially and through taking part in a number of events, including a month of fundraisers throughout October.
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The build...
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Charlotte.. true hero, bust hand and ankle..
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Half way through the build
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Home for the night.
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It didn't last..roof caved in countless times.
Jay and Owen from our Accounts department, Charlotte, Beth and Jacqui from our Sales Support department, and Claire from our Marketing department decided to give up their home comforts for one night, and set about building their shelter in the grounds of St James Church in the City in Liiverpool, based on a Gaskells truck. It didn’t stop raining all night and their shelter kept caving in, but they stuck it out, and special kudos to Charlotte too for doing this, on crutches, with a bust hand and ankle.
Our team of six all got to go home, but a growing number of people aren’t so lucky. If you see someone on the streets, don’t just ignore them, say hello.. they’re human beings.. and reasons for homelessness are very complex. The best way you can help is by supporting one of the charities like The Whitechapel Centre who work to get people off the streets, and also intervene before it gets to that stage. The number of people The Whitechapel Centre is helping shows no signs of slowing down, and in the lead up to winter and colder weather, they need help more than ever. We’re incredibly proud to be supporting them, and proud of our team for Friday night. Well done to everyone who took part, and thank you to everyone who donated. So far, our team have raised more than £1,400 and you can still donate if you wish.
