colleagues sleep rough for charity
An intrepid team of 12 colleagues from across Community Gateway (CGA) and Preston Vocational Centre (PVC) recently braved the cold to participate in The Big Sleepout at Preston North Ends’ Deepdale stadium.
Organised by The Foxton Centre, a Preston-based charity working with local young people, the November 15th event was held to raise money for the purchase and renovation of a local house that will be used to provide a safe and secure location for Preston’s homeless.
Participants were asked to bring only the bare essentials to the sleepover, with the event designed to provide a small insight into the many hardships surrounding local people sleeping rough.
With over 300 people taking part in the event, the team from PVC and CGA did fantastic; raising more than £3,500 for the charity so far.
Patsy Alexander, Housing Support Co-Ordinator at CGA, was one of those who bravely slept out, and said, “It was very rewarding to see so many locals from different walks of life come together to raise money and awareness about homeless issues in Preston. People have been incredibly generous in their support and we would like to thank everyone that got involved and sponsored us.” 
Tom Jones, Health, Safety and Environmental Manager at CGA, also attended the event, and said, “The whole experience was incredibly rewarding and a real eye opener for those of us that went. The cause relates very closely to what we do here at CGA and so getting involved was an easy decision for all of us.”