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THE ADVENT SLEEPOUT CHALLENGE RESOURCE PACK2

Hello Sleep-Outers!We are Abi and Holly, the team based at Church Urban Fund who coordinate the Advent Sleepout Challenge. Thank you so much for signing-up to hold a Sleepout and accepting the challenge. Together we can make a real difference to the lives of thousands of people experiencing homelessness.

You can get hold of us using the contact details (right) if you have any questions - we can help you with things such as creating your fundraising page, planning your sleepout, providing extra resources or any other questions you have. We’re happy to help, just drop us an email or give us a call. Don’t forget, if you’ve got a good Sleepout story or photos make sure you send them our way so we can share them more widely.

Thanks once again for getting involved, we hope your Sleepout goes well and you and your team enjoy the experience.

Best wishes,

Abi & Hollyholly.adams@cuf.org.uk

Holly

abi.bates@cuf.org.uk

Abi

Or you can get in touch on: 0207 898 1091 / hello@cuf.org.uk

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In December 2018

there were over

83,000

households experiencing

homelessness

in the UK?

DID YOU

KNOW...

The Advent Sleepout Challenge is a national, sponsorship challenge facilitated by The Together Network – and it’s your chance to make a difference to the lives of thousands of people living on the edges of society in England.

During Advent, people all over the country will be giving up a night of comfort and sleeping out with their friends, families, church groups, clubs, colleagues and community groups. They’ll be wrapping up in their winter woollies for a fun night in school halls, churches, community halls, scout huts, garden sheds… pretty much anywhere, just as long as it’s not in their beds.

Funds raised will support the work of the Church Urban Fund which tackles homelessness through its Together Network. The Together Network offers help and support to people in England who need it the most in a number of different ways, including through supporting Winter Night Shelters. To find out more about the work of the Together Network and how the funds raised by the Advent Sleepout Challenge can make a difference, check out page 4.

Together, we can help people who are homeless to turn their lives around.

THE ADVENT SLEEPOUT CHALLENGE RESOURCE PACK4

The Together Network is a key programme of the Church Urban

Fund – the social action arm of the Church of England. Through local

partnerships, the Together Network supports and delivers social action

projects and enables local churches to respond to issues in their communities

such as debt, homelessness, isolation, food poverty and mental ill health.

One way that the Together Network responds to local need is by facilitating winter night shelters

and over 6000 bed spaces have been provided to people experiencing homelessness in the last three

years. In 2018, the Together Network supported over 90 homelessness projects, as well as supporting hundreds of

projects which tackle inter-connected issues such as debt, mental illness and offer refugee or asylum seeker support.

The ethos of the Together Network is to offer whole person solutions, much more than just a bed for the night. This kind of support is deeply transformative and gives more people a chance for renewed hope and an opportunity to live life in all its fullness. Our support to people experiencing homelessness and to those living on the margins is made possible by those who take the Advent Sleepout Challenge.

The Advent Sleepout Challenge will help us reach out to even more people, offering practical solutions to help transform lives locally.

To find out more about the Together Network please visit the website: www.togethernetwork.org.uk

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MORE THAN 6000

bed spaces have been provided to people

experiencing homelessness in the last 3 years through

Winter Shelters. OVER 90

homelessness projects were supported in 2018 - as well as hundreds of projects tackling interconnected issues such as

debt, mental illness, and refugee/ asylum seeker support.

THE ETHOS

of the Together Network is to offer whole person solutions, much more

than just a bed for the night.

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"I FEEL 100% IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE NOW."

Dave, whose life was turned around through

a Together Network night shelter.

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Simon was evicted from his home and did not know how to fix it all until he found Positive Pathways, one of the Together Network projects in Bradford. This is his story...

Simon was evicted from his home of 10 years for rent arrears, his benefit claim was sanctioned and he didn’t know what to do to fix it all. He found himself homeless and all his belongings were removed and destroyed by his housing provider. Simon was anxious, depressed and became suicidal. The Together Network branch in Bradford helped Simon to access a Positive Pathways course for 5 weeks where they assisted him to make an appropriate benefit claim, find supported accommodation and to talk with his previous housing association. They also provided Simon with emotional support.

Positive Pathways is a five-year Together Network programme which is helping to support homeless people into stable and sustained accommodation, and community life. As well as offering Winter Night Shelters and relief for immediate needs such as food, clothing and healthcare, the provision through Positive Pathways enables one-to-one relational support to people at critical points on their path to sustainable living.

Positive Pathways broke the cycle of homelessness for Simon, and with your support will continue to do so for many others.

SIMON'S

STORYTHIS IS

"I was helped onto a Positive Pathways course, which gave me so much support."

Names and images have been changed to protect anonymity. This account is a true testimony from a beneficiary of a project supported by Church Urban Fund’s Together Network.

Is your event going to be held inside or out? You might be feeling brave enough to sleep outside, but it might be a little too challenging for some people (and that’s ok!). If you do decide to hold your Advent Sleepout Challenge outside, it’s wise to make sure there are options for shelter if the weather is bad.

Most people will choose to hold their event indoors. Churches, community halls and scout huts are all great locations – but get inventive! Sleepouts have been held in

garden sheds and garages in the past, and some creative Sleepouters have transformed their spaces into Christmas ‘stables’ to sleep in for the night. There are lots of other practicalities to consider (like toilets, first aid and insurance!) and there is a checklist available online to help you work through this – just visit the Advent Sleepout Challenge website and go to the resources page.

You’ve already registered your event, which means you’re well on your way to planning your Sleepout. You probably have a date and an idea about who’s going to join your Sleepout – here are your next steps:

1 Choose a venue.

2 Create your Fundraising page.Creating a fundraising page on Everyday Hero will make it easy for your friends and family to sponsor your Advent Sleepout Challenge team online. Instructions for joining Everyday Hero were in your welcome email, but if you need a hand just email Abi on abi.bates@cuf.org.uk.

THE ADVENT SLEEPOUT CHALLENGE RESOURCE PACK8

3 Invite your friends to join your challenge.

There are fliers in your pack to help you share the news about your Sleepout with your friends, family and community – get as many people as possible Sleeping-Out with you!

4 Get organised.There are lots of shapes Sleepouts can take – will they be indoors or outdoors? Will there be food, activities or games? Will it just be the one night or are you aiming for something more extreme? Everything you need to get organised should be here in your hosts pack or can be downloaded from the resources section of the website. If you need any extra tips or support, just contact the Advent Sleepout Challenge Team.

5 Start fundraising!Make sure everyone who joins your event has set up their own fundraising page and encourage them to aim for a minimum online sponsorship target of £100. You can also use paper sponsorship forms, there will be a few in your hosts pack but you can download more from the website or photocopy your own.

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THE ADVENT SLEEPOUT CHALLENGE RESOURCE PACK10

The Advent Sleepout Challenge is all about getting together, having fun and of course, raising lots of money so that Church Urban Fund’s Together Network can make a difference in the lives of the poorest in our communities.

Start your fundraising by emailing a link to your supporter page to your friends and family or posting it on social media. We’re asking everyone to aim for a target minimum of £100. That’s only 10 donations of £10 each! Using the online fundraising page is the simplest way for people to sponsor you, but you can also use the sponsorship form in this pack - just photocopy as many forms as you need.

Spread the word about what you’re doing using the Advent Sleepout Challenge poster - you could put it up at your church, school or workplace to let people know you are holding an event and that they can join in or sponsor you. If you want to spread the word more widely, why not print a banner to hang outside your building? If you need help with this, just get in touch with us using the details on page 2.

PUTTING THE FUN IN

FUNDRAISING

AIM TO RAISE

£100!That’s only

10 donations of £10 each!

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If you’ve got any of your own great fundraising ideas, don’t forget to share them #sleepoutchallenge

AS WELL AS SPONSORSHIP, THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS THAT YOU CAN TURN ACTIVITIES ON THE NIGHT INTO FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES BEFORE BEDDING DOWN FOR THE NIGHT:

GET SPORTY: Hold a mini sports night (egg and spoon, wheelbarrow, three-legged race…). Participants pay to enter and there’s a prize at the end.

SET UP SHOP: Hold a raffle, run a Christmas Market or auction-off items that everyone has donated.

DRESS TO IMPRESS: Give your event a fancy-dress theme. Everyone uses a £1 coin to vote for the best dressed!

FORFEITS: Have a snore pot - anyone who keeps the rest of the gang awake has to put a few pennies in the pot!

TASTY TREATS: Sell homemade cakes and mugs of hot chocolate – perfect to make the night super-cosy.

DRESS THE TREE: Start off with a bare Christmas tree and get everyone to ‘sponsor’ a decoration so that by the end of the evening your tree looks twinkly and magnificent.

THE BUSINESS: Ask businesses to match funds raised on the night or make a corporate donation – whether money or something for the raffle/auction/market.

SING FOR YOUR SUPPER: How about a bit of Christmas Karaoke? All the crooners pay for a stint on the mic.

BREAK-A-LEG: Before your Sleepout you could put on a show – like a Christmas musical or nativity play – and sell tickets to your local community.

Taking part in a Sleepout should be challenging – but also safe and enjoyable, so please read and follow the guidelines over these two pages.

Remember, it’s up to you how fully you want to create the experience of sleeping rough, but the Advent Sleepout Challenge is not attempting to recreate the sense of danger and deprivation faced by many homeless people. This should be a fun event to raise funds that will help those who need it most.

Some important things participants will need to remember to bring are

appropriate warm or waterproof clothing, a

sleeping bag, pillows, sleeping mat (or cardboard), snacks and hot drinks in a thermos to share.

THE ADVENT SLEEPOUT CHALLENGE RESOURCE PACK12

Check the insurance for the venue provides cover for people sleeping overnight.

Carry out a risk assessment on the venue and activities that you’ll be organising.

Try to avoid bringing anything valuable with you as it could get lost or damaged.

Make sure the venue you have chosen – even if outdoors - is safe and secure.

Access to a telephone is essential in case of emergencies. Ensure you have emergency contact numbers for everyone involved, just in case.

Make sure there is a first aid kit and first aider present on the night.

Only invite people you know. Do not issue an open invitation e.g. via social media giving out the address of your event.

If under 18s are participating, ensure all adults have been DBS checked and that all children have parental permission to be involved. You should create clear areas where children will sleep. You may also want to consider having volunteers on a rota during the night to stay awake to ensure safety and security.

PLEASE FOLLOW THE SLEEPOUT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:

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The Advent Sleepout Challenge is a chance

to have fun whilst raising funds – look out

for one another, have fun and keep safe

as the Together Network cannot accept

responsibility for your Sleepout.

THE ADVENT SLEEPOUT CHALLENGE RESOURCE PACK14

THE LIST BELOW WILL HELP TO ENSURE YOUR ADVENT SLEEPOUT CHALLENGE IS A GREAT SUCCESS.

Register your event at www.sleepoutchallenge.org.uk

Set up your Fundraising page

Invite others to take part

Share your fundraising link and sponsorship forms

Check venue insurance and find a copy of your liability insurance.

Take a look at the resources available online

Decide on activities

Decide on food and drinks (check if there are any dietary requirements)

Complete a risk assessment

Recruit volunteers if necessary

Organise any extra fundraising ideas

Collect emergency contact numbers for each participant

(Don’t forget to email hello@cuf.org.uk if you’d like any guidance.)

Get parental permissions for under 18s.

If necessary, ensure DBS checks have been completed.

Check practicalities of venue (toilets, facilities, parking, etc).

Check accessibility of venue

Gather activity resources and props

Make sure participants know what to bring and do

Identify a First Aider and locate a first aid kit

Find a safe or lockable room for valuables

Use #sleepoutchallenge with any social media activity

Submit the funds you raise via your Supporter page or by sending them into us

Share your experience with the Sleepout Team

Give a talk about your experience at work, school or in your community to help raise awareness.

ORGANISER CHECKLIST

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THANK YOUFOR BEING A PART OF THE ADVENT SLEEPOUT AND HELPING

THOSE IN NEED OF SUPPORT AND SHELTER THIS WINTER.

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Together Network, Church House, 27 Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3AZ.The Together Network is a key programme of the Church Urban Fund. Registered Charity number: 297483

www.sleepoutchallenge.org.uk#sleepoutchallenge