On Wednesday, part of the NCM team put on their gladrags and attended Social Bite’s Thank You Dinner. The event was attended by the individuals who had raised the most amount of money for Social Bite’s 2018 Sleep in the Park event on December the 8th. Around 10,000 people give up their beds for the night, and the Sleep Out raised a total of £3.6million. NCM’s fundraising activities contributed £5,945.00 to that total and we once again would like to thank everyone for their support.
Funds from Sleep in the Park 2018 have gone towards Social Bite’s innovative Housing First initiative, which aims to get people out of temporary accommodation and into a secure home. Backed by the Scottish Government, the Housing First scheme is expected to take 830 rough sleepers off the streets by April 2021.
The evening was hosted by Scottish comedian Fred Macaulay and featured speeches by Josh Littlejohn MBE, the Co-Founder of Social Bite, Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland and a moderated Q&A with BBC Foreign Affairs Correspondent John Simpson CBE. During the event, Malala spoke of her experience of being internally displaced in Pakistan and the work of her charity, Malala Fund.
Josh Littlejohn MBE, Social Bite co-founder said, “It was such an honour for Social Bite to host Malala’s visit to Scotland. Malala’s fight for girls’ education and the work her foundation does in supporting refugees and creating social justice is an inspiration.
Earlier the same day Social Bite announced it’s plans to take their Sleep in the Park concept to an international stage with the establishment of The World’s Big Sleep Out Trust. Malala Fund will be a key partner and beneficiary in a major new project that will bring Josh Littlejohn’s new project will see fundraising events take place in towns and cities across the world this December. The campaign will aim to see 50,000 people sleeping out on the same night, bringing global attention to the issue of homelessness and international displacement.
Dame Louise Casey DBE CB, Executive Chair of the Institute of Global Homelessness said, “The Institute of Global Homelessness is honoured to partner with Social Bite, Malala Fund and UNICEF USA to raise funds and support for people experiencing homelessness around the world. We know that homelessness is an urgent deadly issue that affects people in all nations, but it is an issue that can be solved. The World’s Big Sleep Out campaign will be an extraordinary step toward building a world where, within a generation, everyone has a place to call home – a home that offers security, safety, autonomy, and opportunity.”