The CEO Sleepout in Manchester has now raised over £500,000 for homeless charities across Greater Manchester.
The 10th edition of the event took place last night (3rd November) at a rather drizzly Emirates Old Trafford from 8 pm to 6:30 am, and the business leaders taking part were situated in Stand E of the stadium.
The event first took place in December 2013 in Newcastle and Middlesbrough before becoming a registered charity and expanding across the UK, including Manchester in 2016. This year, there are 14 sleepouts taking place across the country.
Current CEO Bianca Johnson has been at the helm of the charity and events since 2017, and she hopes that the sleepouts are a wake-up call for the businesses taking part, “When they’re lying in their sleeping bags at three in the morning and that cold really starts to seep in, what I really want them to think is “what more can I do?” because this is really unacceptable and an outrage that someone would have to do this for more than one night.”
There are five partner charities for this year’s sleepout: Barnabus Manchester, Walking With the Wounded, Coffee for Craig, Depaul, and The Lancashire Cricket Foundation. The event also supports the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and its mission to end homelessness. At the start of the night, the group of sleepers are introduced to someone who has experienced homelessness and is now in a similar position to them to learn about their story and what it is actually like to be homeless.
Many CEO’s and major business leaders took part from many different types of businesses, including Anne-Marie O’Neil, Fractional Ops director and founder of Ops First Consultancy and ambassador for the sleepout. She says that she takes part to raise awareness about the different ways people could become homeless ” I think people think it’s a ‘them’ issue and remove themselves from the people on the streets when actually there are so many ways people can become homeless, and that is why I will keep taking part.”
The total raised across the UK from the events has now reached £3.8 million and has helped over 100 charities in their fight to end homelessness. Anyone taking part is asked to raise £800 plus 20% gift aid, and that amount is split between the charities that their local sleepout event is partnered with.
In the future, Johnson hopes that the event will grow and interest more types of businesses, “Who else is going to take the stand if we don’t, if we don’t do those things that make a difference. SME’s (Small- medium sized enterprises) are the power block in this country, and if they join in with the movement, then I think we can really start to change the face of society.”
The next sleepout takes place in Sunderland on Thursday (6th November), with Manchester’s next sleepout scheduled for November 2026.