Newark and Sherwood District Council are organising an event to raise money for the local charities which assist the homeless within our district. Castle House staff along with our partners from statutory, voluntary and private business sectors will experience a night of sleeping rough on October 11th.

We are raising the funds to share between various services within the district including IMPACT, Shaw Mind Foundation and lifespring centre, Ollerton.

IMPACT run a drop-in service in Newark town centre providing basic facilities such as a hot meal and a shower. They also have mentor's within the service as well as provisions that can be taken away like sleeping bags, coats and mobile phones which are vital to any rough sleeper. IMPACT will use the funds to buy mobile phones to keep in touch with the service users so their support will continue. They will also use it to provide transport so the individuals can access necessary appointments.

Lifespring Centre, Ollerton run the Oasis Cafe which provides a hot meal for the homeless in Ollerton. They also provide food hampers when they leave. They allow the service users to have access to the centre's landline phones as well as the ability to hire rooms to help them arrange meetings with other important services. They would like to use the funds to build upon their services by purchasing more produce to allow the cafe and hampers to continue.

The Shaw Mind Foundation is a charity tackling the stigma that can accompany mental health issues and supports those who have lost hope. It runs several projects across the district and has recently opened a pop-up café in Newark Buttermarket called the Breathe Café, providing a safe space, active listening, a library of mental health books and signposting them to further resources in their local area – free of charge and without needing a GP referral. Many rough sleepers experience issues with their mental health and it is important that they have access to services and support. They also operate a pay-it-forward scheme.

For those taking part, whilst this won't be the most comfortable night you've ever spent, we promise it will be the most meaningful.

Thank you for all of your support.