The inaugural ‘London Football Sleepout’, a unique fundraising event that aims to help tackle homelessness and poverty in London, will take place on Thursday 14 May 2020 at the prestigious London Stadium in Stratford.
Following the success of CEO Sleepout events across the UK, business owners, executives, senior professionals and leaders of all kinds will be asked to brave the elements and spend the night sleeping outdoors at the London Stadium to show solidarity and support for those currently experiencing homelessness. This is the first time that the London Stadium has played host to a sleep out event, making it a truly unique opportunity for those signing up to take part.
Statistics from homeless charity Shelter suggest that 1 in 52 people in London are now homeless or living in inadequate housing and in the last year alone, 320,000 people were recorded as homeless in Britain, equivalent to 36 new people becoming homeless every day.
Those taking part will sleep out under the stars to help those who have no other choice and it promises to be a night no-one will forget. The campaign aims to raise a minimum target of £100,000 with at least 100 people participating in order to help change someone else’s life by each pledging to raise or donate a minimum of £1,000. Funds raised will be put to work fighting homelessness and poverty in London and the South East.
The London Football Sleepout event was conceived as an idea by marketing strategist Kevin Tewis-Allen and entrepreneur, Keith Mabbutt. Both now have a role working to support the Street Soccer Foundation; Kevin as its CMO, and Keith as Founder and CEO. The Foundation is an award-winning charitable, non-profit organisation operating throughout England, and works with community arms of several Premier League Football Clubs which run its ‘Street Soccer Academy’ programme, using football as a catalyst to improve the lives of vulnerable and homeless young people across the country.
Mabbutt approached ‘CEO Sleepout’ to run the event, a charity set up to fight homelessness nationally which specialises in delivering Sleepout events, and together the two organisations have agreed a partnership to represent unity through the power of football, all the while to inspire big-hearted business and community leaders across the region to get involved.
Keith Mabbutt said: “Our mission is to help end homelessness using football as the catalyst. Since forming the Street Soccer Foundation back in 2015, I’ve had the mindset that being partnership-led will give us the greatest chance to succeed in our mission. By getting involved in the London Football Sleepout, participants are enabling us to continue our work inspiring and encouraging vulnerable and homeless young people to turn their lives around for the better. By delivering meaningful impact, we can change lives, create opportunities and build better futures together.”
Bianca Robinson, CEO, CEO Sleepout said: “In today’s society, everybody should have a place to live. Our collaboration with Keith and the Street Soccer Foundation is a particularly exciting one as I was already aware of the amazing work the Foundation does to help homeless people through their development programmes. With the launch of the London Football Sleepout we’re calling on all business leaders and CEOs to spend one night at this incredible Stadium to help people who need it most.”
Built to host London 2012, the former Olympic Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is home to Premier League football club West Ham United and UK Athletics. With rock concerts through the intervening months, the versatile venue has also hosted the Rugby World Cup, international and domestic Rugby Union, The Race of Champions, the RFL Four Nations and was home for the first Major League Baseball games to be played in Europe.
Find out more and register to take part in the London Football Sleepout by visiting: www.londonfootballsleepout.co.uk
Notes to editors
About the Street Soccer Foundation
The Street Soccer Foundation is an award-winning, charitable, non-profit organisation operating nationwide. Its nationally acclaimed flagship programme, the ‘Street Soccer Academy’, is the number 1 football-led project tackling youth homelessness in England.
CHANGING LIVES THROUGH FOOTBALL.
Enquiries to: Kevin Tewis-Allen, Chief Marketing Officer
Email: kevin@streetsoccerfoundation.org.uk
Website: www.streetsoccerfoundation.org.uk
About CEO Sleepout
CEO Sleepout is a charity set up to fight homelessness and poverty. Its campaign is funded with money raised by big-hearted business and community leaders who pledge to sleep outdoors for one night to raise awareness and sponsorship from their business contacts and friends. Sleepout events are run nationwide and to date, have raised more than £2.7 million for charities and causes that work hard to tackle poverty and homelessness in cities across the UK. CEO Sleepout is run by CEO Bianca Robinson and was founded in December 2013 by Andy Preston, who is now the elected mayor of Middlesbrough.
For more information about CEO Sleepout and its national programme of events, visit: www.ceosleepoutuk.com