Bellrock Group: Host Your Own Sleep Out

Why did you Sleep Out for Centrepoint?

We see a lot of homelessness in our retail parks, especially youth homelessness. Young people are our future, they’ll be running these places... They come to us because the shopping centres feel more safe. We don’t want to ignore this so we thought, what shall we do to help? 

Sleep Out is something that anyone can do – not just sporty people, it’s accessible to anyone. And it’s a concrete way to help. On the night we realised how lucky we are. We’re very proud to work with Centrepoint. 

How did it go on the night?

We really enjoyed it, but it was tougher than we thought. We slept out in Dover and the seagulls were so noisy – we got no sleep whatsoever! We held the Sleep Out in an outdoor carpark of one of our retail parks. It was a good way of doing it in a controlled environment with CCTV and toilets. 

We were also in the public domain so during the day people asked us what we were doing. So, we had buckets for collecting donations on the seafront. We got some banners created and had T-shirts, and set up a mini encampment with the banners and gazebo. It was a really good experience.

How was the fundraising?

We got all our suppliers, customers and everyone to support us. We made suggested donation amounts when approaching big companies so we could get those larger corporate donations. We approached managing directors and financial directors for donations in return for being mentioned on our social media. That then encourages individuals to give once they see their company are supporting the cause. 

We kept up the Facebook and LinkedIn posts on the night including thank yous to people for their donations. People were really generous, and we made lots on the night – the JustGiving page QR code was really helpful.

What were your main takeaways from the experience?

We did some Centrepoint activities including the Bag Packing challenge. To start with people were nervous – we didn’t all know each other, so did some icebreakers and team bonding exercises. We now have a bond we wouldn’t have any other way. After the event we donated some sleeping bags to local homeless shelters.

It’s a lot colder than you think and lying on cardboard really helped, it insulates you. The mood dropped at 2 to 3am when there was no one around and the wind picked up. All in all it was a long day but fun – I would definitely recommend. 

Any extra tips for groups organising a Sleep Out?

I would recommend that other Sleep Out organisers reach out to retail parks and see if they can offer their space or carpark. The benefit of retail parks is there are toilets and CCTV and it’s safe for your belongings. Plus, there are shops for food before the night. So, look into shopping centres and retail parks. 

There are also places that can lend out gazebos and barriers, local companies that could donate them for the night. These organisations are often looking to partner with people and they have locations across the country.