Sleep-out raises more than £30k for homeless charity

Scores of people braved cold temperatures to sleep out all night to raise more than £30,000 for a homeless charity.

On Friday, 160 fundraisers aged between 12 and 85 switched their beds for the chilly stone floor of Salisbury Cathedral.

All the money raised from the event, which has been running for 18 years, will be donated to charity Alabaré.

Its leaders said they have seen an increase in the number of people with complex needs requiring their services over the past 12 months.

Alabaré has a network of homes, drop-in centres, and specialised support services for homeless people.

Those sleeping out included service users, pupils from local schools and members of the public.

Amongst them was veteran, Sue Bradley, who spent six months living in her car after the pandemic before she sought support from Alabaré.

She said the reason she wanted to take part was to "support them, for supporting me".

Rebecca Mullen, fundraising events manager, said each year it is a "humbling" experience.

She said: "What we do, saves lives. What we do, creates hope. But we are also under financial pressure to do more, to save more lives."

Richard Rooney, from St Joseph's Catholic School in Salisbury, has been bringing pupils to the event for six years.

He said: "They're having fun with their friends but when the darkness descends they start to realise what it's like to be homeless."

Mr Rooney said he hopes it will "inspire them to make a difference in the future."

It's estimated that about £30,000 will have been raised from the event, but the total figure will not be known until 28 April.

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