Oxford roughs it for charity
Oxford students will join members of the local community in a charity sleep-out in St. Clement's Graveyard in aid of Oxford's homeless population this Saturday. It is expected that up to 100 people will take part.
"Every day, more than 30 people sleep rough on the streets of Oxford, many of them suffering awful deprivations. This is a once-a-year opportunity for us to highlight the problems and raise money to support the local projects that provide the shelter and other assistance they so badly need," Oxford Sleep-Out co-ordinator David Belton explained.
Since its foundation in 1995, the Oxford Sleep Out has raised more than £100,000 for many agencies in Oxford who help the homeless including "The Gatehouse".
The aim of the annual fundraising event for Oxford's homeless is to raise money to support local projects providing shelter and support to homeless and badly housed people. It also works to raise public awareness, particularly among young people, of the plight of people without a home.
Last year nearly 100 participants raised £10,500 and this year the organisers would like even more to come forward. There was a particularly good turn-out among Oxford Students last year, and Belton is hoping to repeat that success again in 2001.
The organisers are also inviting local people to contribute £15 each for the privilege of sleeping in their own beds on the night of The Oxford Sleep-Out on Saturday, 24th November.
"We recognise that there are still many local people who want to contribute. So we've devised Sleep In Your Own Bed as a way they can help. All they need to do is make a donation for each person in the household who sleeps in their own bed on 24th November."
22nd Nov 2001