Fatboy Slim pledges support for Brighton Big Sleep Out

Brighton’s Sleep Out will take place on Saturday December 7 at Hove Lagoon and Sussex Homeless Support are aiming to encourage 500 people to sleep out.

The ‘Sleep Out’ aims to raise funds and awareness for homelessness charities and is supported by celebrities such as Will Smith, Dame Helen Mirren, and Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

For one night, sponsored volunteers will sleep outside to create the world’s largest display of solidarity for those experiencing homelessness and displacement.

Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, will be providing support for the sleep out. “It’s a sad state for anyone to get in... Brighton has always been a centre for homelessness,” he said.

“At the moment, I don’t think I will be there to sleep out but I am giving access to my cafe [Big Beach Cafe] and my moral and financial support.”

Brighton & Hove City Council have announced that they support the event.

Those taking part will sleep in cardboard boxes and sleeping bags to show solidarity while food stalls, tea and coffee, and entertainment will aim to keep volunteers warm.

Sussex Homeless Support will join event organisers in 50 other cities worldwide in encouraging residents to leave the comfort of their beds this winter and sleep outside.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “It’s going to be cold, but this is for one night only, a small price to pay to help others who endure this night after night.”

Councillor Robert Nemeth will also be joining the sleep out with his children. “We’re calling on as many people as possible to get involved in some way, whether it be coming at the beginning of the night to put tents up, by helping with food, or by taking part,” cllr Nemeth said.

Half of proceeds from the event will be used by Sussex Homeless Support themselves.

During the past year the charity has provided 11,000 meals, 1,300 food parcels, and 2,700 beds for the night to homeless people in Brighton.

They are joined at their street kitchen every Sunday by Streetvets, who provide treatment for pets of the homeless and whose volunteers have registered, assessed, and treated 131 dogs in the city.

The other half of funds raised will be given to charities who help those displaced through war, natural disaster, or extreme poverty worldwide.

For more information about Brighton’s World’s Biggest Sleep Out event, visit this webpage.