Giving up their comfort to brave the cold, motorway project teams leading major road improvements have raised more than £5,000 to support vulnerable individuals and communities in Leeds.

The teams from National Highways and their contractor partners on the M621 improvement scheme and central barrier upgrades near the M1/M62 Lofthouse Interchange bedded down overnight on the cold terraces of Headingley Stadium.

It was all in aid of The Big Sleep, which highlights the plight of homeless people in Leeds and supports the work of Leeds Rhinos Foundation, St George's Crypt and St Gemma's Hospice to protect vulnerable communities.

Ellen Harrison, National Highways Customer Service Manager, was among the people who took part in the sleep out. She said:

"It was a fantastic event and such a privilege to do something that plays a small part in supporting three incredible charities to continue their work across the city."

Three separate teams from the National Highways community took part. Together, National Highways and Balfour Beatty raised more than £2,250, while Keltbray and Premier achieved more than £3,000. Contractor partners from Mabey Plant Hire raised £627.

Stuart Culley, Customer and Social Value Lead at Keltbray, explained: "There is a significant homeless community along the M621 corridor and it was important to us to be able to raise money for causes that support them, and other people across the city who need extra support, especially at this time of year.

"Thank you to everyone for their donations, every pound counts."

Antony Firth, Head of Regional Change for National Highways, agreed. He said: "What was particularly great was the wonderful work all three charities do in a joined-up way. For example, St Georges Crypt provide food and warm drinks for people who sleep rough in Leeds city centre. What was great though was that they also provide sheltered housing and have over 50 houses in Leeds, and are planning to build at least another 40 in the coming years to get those sleeping rough off the street. 

"It was great to hear Leeds Rhinos Foundation help the Crypt by helping the people they have housed by getting them jobs.  Lastly, St Gemma's lets people, even if they are on the streets, die in dignity and they work with the others to step in when people who have been on the streets are coming to the end of their life.  Their motto is all people should be able to die with dignity, so all in all a very poignant set of presentations and made you realise why you were doing it."

For many of those taking part, The Big Sleep involved very little sleep. Ellen said:

"It was cold, uncomfortable and not a lot of sleeping happened, but I guess that was the point really to give a flavour of what it would be like to sleep rough. I was very conscious that there was a hot shower and warm house at the end of it for me, so it's hard to imagine what it must feel like to be in that position night after night."

Antony added: "I think we were all expecting the cold to be a major factor. It was about 5C with an overnight low of 4 degrees. With eight layers on my top half and two pairs of socks, some gloves a hat and a scarf, I was hardly representative of a person sleeping rough on the street. 

"At around 6am quite a few people started to awake and there was chatter and this woke all our group who decided, after not a very good night's sleep, that we would pack up and go home.  So, at 6.30am, we packed our things and headed for our warm houses, feeling very lucky that we had one to go to."

Balfour Beatty was the lead contractor on the upgrade of the central barrier on the M1 and M62 near Lofthouse Interchange, which took place earlier this year.

Karen Hughes, Commercial Assistant at Balfour Beatty, said: "At Balfour Beatty, we are committed to giving back to the communities we serve. The Leeds Big Sleep event is one example of how we are doing just that, raising valuable funds for homeless people in our community.

"It was an eye-opening experience and helped put into perspective the difficulties and realities that homeless people face every night. Charities like The Leeds Big Sleep are so important in bringing communities together to help support others - it was an honour to take part."
To date, more than £45,000 has been raised for The Big Sleep by everyone who took part. You can find out more and donate at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/leedsbigsleep2023

Notes to Editors

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