Here at the Albion Foundation, we are all too aware of how challenging recent times have become. As a community, there are still those less fortunate who are sleeping rough. On Friday, March 24th we invite supporters to experience spending a night under the stars in the stands and concourse of the Hawthorns.

You will spend the night in the Smethwick End, where we expect there to be great camaraderie and a few hot drinks! There will be entertainment throughout the evening before we all settle down for the night, with performances from a football freestyler and a musician scheduled in. We are also expecting several former Albion players to be joining us throughout the evening.

Registration costs £15 for Adults and £10 for Children (Age 10 - 17), and you will need to raise a minimum of £25 in sponsorship, with all proceeds going to The Albion Foundation and homelessness charities across Sandwell.

Jonathan Ward, Head of Partnerships, Events & Communications at The Albion Foundation said: "The Sleep Out is going to be a really important event in helping raise awareness of the homeless and vulnerable within our local community.

"This is just the start of a longer-term project between The Albion Foundation, West Bromwich Albion Football Club, Brushstrokes Community Project and Sandwell Council’s Change into Action Network. We encourage everyone to support the Sleep Out and join us in raising funds for this important cause."

Lucy Clark, Partnerships and Communities Manager at Brushstrokes Community Project explained: “Brushstrokes works collaboratively with several local services including Sandwell Council, SIFA Fireside, Shelter and local faith communities to tackle homelessness.

“We try to identify and alleviate the pressures and issues that may have led to a person’s homelessness. We hope to ensure the support we offer will meet both an immediate resource-based need, as well as a sustainable long-term improvement to a person’s quality of life.”

Karl Robinson of Sandwell Council added: “We do not want anyone having to sleep rough in Sandwell and have a team that respond to reports of people sleeping rough within the same day.

“We work with the individual to come up with a plan to meet their needs - including working with them around income, mental/physical health and substance misuse issues.

“The Sleep Out is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness within the community and help insure no one is sleeping rough.”

There will be plenty of camaraderie and entertainment throughout the evening, with hot drinks on offer throughout the night. We look forward to welcoming you to The Hawthorns!