Over 70 people slept outside the South Stand at Carrow Road on the evening of Thursday, October 20 to raise money to prevent youth homelessness at a Sleep Out event organised by the Benjamin Foundation.
A group of staff from Norwich City who took part raised over £1,000, including head of supporter engagement, Elliot King. He said: "It was an honest reminder of how fortunate you are if you have a roof over your head and a warm bed to sleep in.
"On the night, we heard from the Benjamin Foundation and the work that they do for young people in East Anglia. Hopefully in doing this, we will have helped to raise awareness of youth homelessness and money to enable them to continue their vital work."
The event challenged people to spend one night sleeping outside, so young people don’t have to. With an estimated 122,000 young people facing homelessness in the UK last year (source: Centrepoint), The Benjamin Foundation provides a home and support to almost 200 young people Norfolk and Suffolk each night.
Sleep Out does not aim to replicate homelessness and what it is like to be lonely, frightened and vulnerable, but it does give participants a small glimpse of some of the challenges homeless people may face, and is an important fundraising event for The Benjamin Foundation.
Sleep Out has now raised almost £300,000 since its first event in Norwich in 2015, and the charity is passionate about being able to give more local young people help when they need it most, especially with challenges caused by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
To find out more about The Benjamin Foundation, visit their website here.