The Big Sleep is Back
Seaview, a local award-winning organisation focussed on the needs of those who are homeless or insecurely housed in Hastings and St Leonards, is organising another Big Sleep event this October.
This will be the seventh Big Sleep event, and it returns to mark 40 years of Seaview. The Seaview Project has been supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our community since 1985 and now helps over 1,000 individuals every year, providing them with food, comfort and companionship.
The Big Sleep is an information and fundraising event which will culminate in a sponsored sleep out, next door to Seaview in Hattons Yard warehouse. The event is taking place on 3 October and begins at Seaview’s Wellbeing Centre, Hatherley Road, St Leonards at 8pm.
Participants will spend the evening learning about Seaview’s work, followed by the sponsored sleep out to raise vital funds to help continue this vital work with disadvantaged adults, experiencing homelessness, rough sleeping, mental health and addiction issues alongside poverty, for another 40 years!
There will also be entertainment and storytelling during the evening from people with lived experience of homelessness and rough sleeping, plus hot drinks throughout, and an evening soup run before sleeping out next door in Hattons Yard Warehouse. Following the sleep out, sleepers will be woken up and moved on for a breakfast run in Seaview early the next morning. It will be a chance to get close to Seaview’s work and gain deeper insight into the challenges many of our community face every day and night.
Under 18s who want to join the sleep out can do so in a secure, private outdoor space at home with guardian consent. Discover Hastings have offered Hastings Aquarium and Smugglers Adventure tickets for the under 18 that raises the most sponsorship.
For those who don’t want to sleep out but want to come along to the Big Sleep live event pre-sleep out, they can. The live event is being held at Seaview featuring the Seaview band Monsat Inc, alongside performances from Hastings legends King Size Slim and Sister Suzie.
It will be a thought-provoking evening, with opportunities to hear from and speak with people with lived experience of homelessness as well as a chance to watch historical film clips, reminding us all why this fundraising evening is so important.
Those who raise £150 in sponsorship receive a free Big Sleep T-shirt, and if you raise £300, you’ll receive a free Big Sleep hoodie. Heat Wave Print will be on site on the night, live printing hoodies for anyone who doesn’t reach their target but wants to buy a hoodie as a souvenir.
The Big Sleep sponsors this year include HMHB, Goat Ledge, the FILO and Ashdown Hurrey. Paddy from the Dragon Bar and Fagin’s restaurant is offering a meal for two for the individual who raises the most money, and there is also a team prize of a pizza and refreshment from the Brewing Brothers. The Big Sleep is looking for more businesses who would like to sponsor the event; all funds raised go towards providing essential support services to the homeless, inadequately housed and rough sleepers locally. Please contact [email protected] if your business would like to sponsor the event.
Rough Sleeping won’t go away today or tomorrow, but with your help, Seaview can make a difference.
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