Posted on 15.01.18

Multiple ‘Sleep in the Park’ events planned for Scotland to end homelessness

A string of “Sleep in the Park” events could be staged on the same night across Scotland in the wake of the success of the first event raising more than £4 million.

Around 500 people are already expected to be helped off the streets after more than 8,000 people turned out in sub-zero temperatures for the first fundraising event in December. It it thought simultaneous events may be held in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee this winter in a bid to build on the momentum of the event dreamt up by social entrepreneur Josh Littlejohn.

He said people had travelled to Edinburgh “from every corner of Scotland” for the first event in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh.

Amy Macdonald, Liam Gallagher, Deacon Blue, Sir Bob Geldof, Rob Brydon and John Cleese were among those to entertain the crowds.

Participants had to pledge to raise at least £100 for Social Bite, the social enterprise set up by Littlejohn to raise money to tackle homelessness six years ago, initially via a chain of sandwich shops and cafes. Littlejohn came up with the idea of a mass sleep-out after persuading more than 300 business leaders, politicians and celebrities to take part in a smaller-scale event in Charlotte Square in Edinburgh in December 2016.

Billed as the biggest “sleep-out” in the world, Sleep in the Park, also led to 160 jobs and 35 spare rooms being offered to homeless people.

Read full article here: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/multiple-sleep-in-the-park-events-planned-for-scotland-to-end-homelessness-1-4659461