While Andy Burnham’s charity A Bed Every Night has been in the works for a couple of years now, it has just launched its newest campaign in an effort to raise £30,000 to fund 1,000 beds throughout the cold winter period.
For anyone wanting to do their bit, we’ve pulled together a small guide of the other ways you too can get involved with such a worthy social mission.
Beyond just providing beds, the charity, which has joined up with a whole host of other organisations including the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, Greater Manchester Police and the Homelessness Action Network, also offers friendly and welcoming emotional support to those sleeping rough without access to safe accommodation.
Whether you donate food and drink, unopened toiletries, clothing, spare stationery, kitchenware, toys or unused bedding, this is a great way to get involved in directly helping your local community. You could put a call-out on social media to round up a collection of vital resources or even put a notice up at your school, workplace or apartment block.
Every single donation will help the cause, no matter how big or small, so have a rummage through your pantries, wardrobes and shelves for any items that might help with the charity’s services.
If you feel concerned about someone you’ve seen sleeping rough then get in touch with any of Greater Manchester’s ten local authorities who have a team perfectly suited to help with the situation.
Covering Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan—StreetLink is a great resource for navigating a scenario like this as they directly contact the local outreach service of the particular area you are reporting from so that the most relevant local team can get involved and help.
This is a great option for anyone wanting to get a little more hands-on and creative with their involvement. Whether you start up a Christmas-themed bake sale, host a charity car wash or challenge yourself to a sponsored bike ride—anything you can do to raise funds would be incredibly appreciated.
This is the perfect opportunity to offer up your skills to local organisations to help tackle homelessness in Manchester.
Whether you’re super organised and could see yourself as a great spare pair of hands working on administration duties, take a more one-on-one approach through mentoring, can lend your DIY skills or you just simply use your chatterbox qualities to make people feel relaxed and welcomed—check out exactly what skills are needed in your local area to support such n important social mission this winter.
gmmayorscharity.org.uk
- Words:
- Rhiannon Ingle
- Published on:
- Wed 1 Dec 2021
A Bed Every Night seeks to help the most vulnerable in the Great Manchester community and with the days getting colder, the demand for this service is through the roof. The Mayor has now announced the launch of ‘1,000 Beds for Christmas’ which will provide key support alongside emergency accommodation for those sleeping on the streets in Manchester.
Following recent developments, including the end of furlough, the Universal Credit uplift and the end to the ban on evictions—many more people will be put at risk of being homeless this winter period. While the recommended donation is £30 to fund a single bed for the night, any amount of money donated will be much appreciated in achieving the final goal of £30,000.