Ditch Your Duvet Raises Over 5000 Pounds To Tackle Local Youth Homelessness
Kids, parents, students and long-time supporters of SASH got creative recently and took part in Ditch Your Duvet, a virtual sleepover to raise money to tackle youth homelessness. The charity’s first fully virtual fundraiser saw supporters choose an unusual place to sleep around their home or garden and get sponsored for the challenge. From bathtubs and living room tents, to sofa dens and outdoor shelters – supporters came up with some ingenious sleeping solutions and joined a virtual evening of entertainment via Facebook, including a bedtime story reading from York local and Peaky Blinders star, Samuel Edward-Cook.
Participants Leo and Lilly in their makeshift dens for the night
Over 80 people took part, and as well as fundraising, participants got involved in a virtual den-building competition, posting pictures of their fantastic efforts on social media. All participants got a small prize for taking part, with the winner swiping a fantastic ‘Desert Island’ Survivor Family Den-building Kit and the runner up winning a signed copy of the fantastic The Night Bus Hero from award-winning children’s author Onjali Q. Raúf.
Some brave participants, like Fiona and Simon, spent the night outdoors in their garden
Community Fundraiser at SASH, Jenna Goodridge said: “ It was great to see our local community got involved with the fun of the event and we were so happy to welcome supporters old and new to Ditch your Duvet. As our first virtual event and an alternative to our annual Sleepout, which was cancelled in the spring, we’re so pleased everyone enjoyed the event and chose to support SASH in a different way. The event raised some of the vital funds we missed out back in April due to the unfolding pandemic. The money raised by our brilliant ‘Duvet Ditchers’ will help provide both emergency and longer-term accommodation for young people facing homelessness in North and East Yorkshire. We can’t wait to gather feedback from this year’s event and bring it back for 2021. We’ll see you there!”
SASH would like to thank everyone who took part and look forward to starting to plan for Ditch Your Duvet 2021 as well as a larger virtual events schedule for supporters to get involved in next year too. To find out more about the Ditch you Duvet event click here.
Notes to Editors
Contact: For more information, please contact Thea Burden (Communications Co-ordinator/ Digital Lead at SASH) on thea.burden@sash-uk.org.uk.
About SASH (Safe And Sound Homes)
- SASH works to prevent youth homelessness across North and East Yorkshire
- SASH provides an emergency accommodation placement service called Nightstop, where young people are placed with volunteer hosts for up to two weeks.
- SASH also provides a longer-term placement service, Supported Lodgings, with volunteer hosts for young people who cannot return home and cannot yet live independently.
- Ordinary citizens who are concerned about young people and homelessness apply to SASH to become hosts – they are assessed, DBS checked, trained and our Host Coordinators support them
- The young people we work with are often vulnerable. SASH’s Young People’s Co-ordinators support them through their placement. Loneliness, poor mental health and self-esteem are all issues which can affect young people who’ve faced homelessness.
- Our SASH Active programme connects young people helped by our services through residential trips, valuable life-skills workshops as well as other enriching experiences.
All young people SASH works with are referred through councils and other local organisations after presenting as homeless.
