On the night of Monday 24 April 2017, the Mayor of Great Aycliffe, Cllr Jed Hillary, joined business leaders from across County Durham to sleep rough in the grounds of Durham Cathedral. Notably amongst those taking part were Mike Barton, Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary, James Ramsbotham, Chief Executive of the NE Chamber of Commerce and Andy Preston, Chief Executive of CEO Sleepout UK. The event raised in excess of £22,000, which will be used to do incredible things to help homeless people here in the North East, and to raise poverty awareness. The charity has helped a large number of homeless people with housing, training and job opportunities. It was a cold night with the participants bedding down in sub-zero temperatures and howling northerly winds. Our Mayor reported that even with a sleeping mat and blanket under his sleeping bag, it was bitterly cold where your hips were in contact with the flag stones, and you could definitely feel a nip in the air around your face.
Whilst the Cathedral offers much to visitors to the City, the bells sounding the quarters and hours have the ability to keep you in a state of semi-sleep all night. It gave an insight to the difficult circumstances homeless people find themselves in, and it’s hard to imagine having to survive in these conditions day in, day out, in all weather, for weeks or months. Jed would like to offer his heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed to his own fundraising efforts, which have so far netted a little over £500. If you would like to make a donation to CEO Sleepout via Jed’s JustGiving page, you can do so at https://www. justgiving.com/fundraising/Jed-Hillary
