On Wednesday, 30th March 2022, Kelly Group representatives; Helen Corbett, Marie Boyle, Rachel Collier, Raymond Britton, James Young and Christopher Campbell alongside almost 100 people ditched their comfortable warm beds and joined the Lady Mayoress of the City of London at her first ever sleep out event in the heart of London’s Guildhall Yard.
Participants were welcomed with hot drinks at 9pm and started to settle in at their chosen spots for a night under the London stars. The event was opened with a speech from the Lord Mayor Alderman Vincent Keaveny and CEO of Spitalfields Crypt Trust, Tony Chasteauneuf. Despite the weather being a little damp and cold, brave participants slept outside all night until the morning alongside the Lady Mayoress.
Christopher Campbell said:
“Homelessness is such an important and often overlooked issue, I’m honored to have shared a small patch of concreate with a fantastic bunch of friends and colleagues raising awareness and funds for this exceptional cause.
We met so many wonderful people who clearly share the same values as every one of us who took part - we shivered into the night, but the warming stories we shared kept the cold at bay.
A huge congratulations to the Lady Mayoress and The Lord Mayors Appeal for organizing such a successful and memorable event.
Thank you to all our donators for your extremely generous donations”
Raymond Britton Said:
“The people I shared the ground with and those I had the privilege to meet last night, were my kind of people. It was beyond cold but spirits where high and people oozed warmth and positivity.
I couldn't have shivered with a better bunch. It is fantastic to see the financial support given by everyone and hope that others continue to pay into this page over the next few weeks.
Thank you to Kelly Group for giving us the opportunity to participate and to Chris Campbell for all the efforts in organising.
To the band of teeth chattering friends and family who lay beside me: James, Rachel, Helen, Marie and Chris...Respect to one and all.”
The purpose of this charitable event was to raise awareness of the high number of homeless people living in the City and raise funds for charities who either support the prevention of homelessness or provide aid for those in need. The Lady Mayoress, Amanda Keaveny is an active supporter of the cause and volunteers at a number of London based homeless charities.
The Lady Mayoress, Amanda Keaveny Said…
“You may wonder why I would voluntarily swap my comfortable bed in Mansion House for a sleeping bag under the stars on a potentially cold spring night. Homelessness is a cause very close to my heart and as a long-standing, active volunteer at a number of homeless charities I wanted to hold an event to raise awareness of the issue that is much bigger than many realise.”
Where Does the Money Go?
All donations are distributed amongst local charities working towards reducing the number of homeless people on the streets of the City and prevent the future generation from eventually becoming homeless.
Spitalfields Crypt Trust
SCT is an East London charity founded in 1965, who supports the local community to recover from homelessness, addiction and other complex needs. They believe many aspects of people’s lives need careful attention to achieve long-term improvement and recovery. The charity follows people on the road of recovery with a wide range of services including a residential recovery hostel, supported housing, a training and development centre, drop-in facilities for homeless people and a supportive training ground for those who wish to take the next step.
Lord Mayor’s Appeal & Beneficiary Charities
Proceeds will also go towards the Lord Mayor’s Appeal and its beneficiary charities, some of which supports preventing and treating mental health issues. Mental health is often one of the main causes of homelessness.
Beneficiary Charities Include:
Kelly Group is proud to support the Lady Mayoress’ fundraising efforts and the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. We’re very much looking forward to supporting homeless charities in the future and due to such a successful event, we have chosen to donate all our fundraising from the forthcoming charity football tournament to support the homeless charity Shelter.
You can still submit your generous donations to support the Lady Mayoress until the 12th April HERE.
