Skipton and Caritas organise a mass overnight rough sleep

ISLANDERS will be sleeping ‘rough’ around the edges of the King George V playing fields in January in a major fundraiser for the local charity Caritas to help its ambitious £1m. plans to build an innovative modular housing community locally.

Skipton International has partnered with local charity Caritas to organise a mass overnight sleep out, ‘The Big Skipton Sleep Out’, with the hope to raise vital funds for the charity’s modular housing project. It will take place at KGV on 24 January next year and will see people swap their beds for a night in sleeping bags as an act of support for those experiencing homelessness.Skipton and Caritas representatives, from the bottom up, Ben Corbet, Alicia Bridel, Graham Merfield from Caritas, and Dani Barnett. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 33710412)

Skipton International has partnered with Caritas to organise a mass overnight sleep out on Friday 24 January.

The playing fields have benches and its changing room block but bar a few additional gazebos, people taking part will be reliant on their own sleeping bags, blankets and anything else they can carry to keep themselves warm or even dry.

Caritas chairman Graham Merfield encouraged people to ‘show solidarity with those experiencing homelessness by experiencing a night under the stars to raise funds for our vital cause’.

Anyone taking part is asked to help to raise at least £100 in sponsorship.

‘Sadly, some of the most vulnerable in our society are currently without a roof over their head. Our company values and ethos mean that we cannot turn a blind eye to islanders experiencing homelessness, and we are committed to doing what we can to help through supporting the valuable work of Caritas to provide a tangible solution to the homelessness crisis in Guernsey,’ said Skipton’s chief commercial officer Charlotte Dunsterville, who will take part along with several Skipton colleagues.

Caritas has announced its aim to raise £1m. to secure land to build an innovative modular housing community. The development will provide accommodation for people experiencing homelessness as they get back on their feet, providing them with a sense of community and restoring their dignity.

A 2023 States Indicators of Poverty report found that over 1,000 islanders are currently without secure housing, though the lack of clear definition for the term ‘homeless’ means this number could be much higher. This roughly equates to one in 64 island residents, compared to one in 182 in England.

n For more details and a sponsorship form and information booklet, visit caritas.org.gg/the-big-skipton-sleep-out-2025/. People can register by emailing names and ages of people taking part to sleepout@caritas.org.gg.