Two charities benefit from sleep-out success

The volunteers who braved the elements to sleep outside on a freezing January night have handed more than £15,000 to two charities.

The 92-strong group took part in mhs homes’ sleep-out in the car park of its head office at Broadside, Chatham to raise cash for homeless support charity Emmaus Medway and the Alzheimer’s Society - the mhs homes staff chosen charity for 2012.

They wore warm clothing and decorated cardboard boxes for the endurance event, which mhs homes has been running biennially for 18 years. Jay Aston, of 1981 Eurovision-winning band Bucks Fizz - a patron of The Alzheimer’s Society – went along to offer support on a night when temperatures plummeted to below freezing.

Among the volunteers at the cheque presentation was mhs homes customer Maggie Brown.She said: “It’s hard to believe now that its summer that it was so cold back then. But we only did it for a night, lots of people have to do that every night, whatever the weather.”

In total £15,030 was raised and divided equally between the two charities. Emmaus Medway supports homeless people by providing a home – former sheltered housing scheme Cherry Tree House in Bryant Street, Chatham – as well as employment at its second hand furniture shop in High Street Chatham. The charity took the lease of Cherry Tree House in September 2011 enabling it to set up the Medway branch of the international organisation.

David Howells, chair of the Board of Trustees at Emmaus Medway said the money would be put towards its running cost in its first year.He said: “After 12 years planning and with great support from mhs homes, Emmaus Medway is now a reality. These generous funds will be most helpful in our first year of helping homeless people in Medway.”

Cathy Lowe, Alzheimer’s Society’s senior corporate fundraising executive (east) added her appreciation. She said: “It has been a pleasure to meet so many people who took part in the sleepout to raise this money for us. We are very grateful.”

mhs homes’ chief executive Ashley Hook added: “This a truly amazing amount to have been raised. It shouldn’t be forgotten how cold it was that night – we are really proud of their achievement.”