Homelessness is still a very big concern, not just here in the UK, but across the globe. The cost of living crisis, and a chronic lack of social housing has seen the demand for services like ours increase massively, as more and more people need our help and support.
From fundraising and new team members, to fantastic events and a growing corporate network, it’s been a busy year full of great ideas and great people. As 2023 comes to a close, we wanted to take the time to reflect on everything that you’ve helped us to achieve as an organisation in 2023.
Our Corporate Socials
We want to say a huge thank you to all of the fantastic venues throughout Leeds that have hosted our corporate socials throughout 2023. Fazenda, El Gato Negro, Gaucho, The Collective Inc and Malmaison have all played host to us this year and we’re so grateful for your wonderful hospitality.
It’s be wonderful to see new faces at our Corporate Socials, as well as all of you who attend each and every one. It’s really helped us to form lasting connections with individuals and businesses, and your continued support is invaluable. If you haven’t come along to one of our socials yet, keep your eyes peeled, as we’ll be releasing the date for our first event of 2024 very soon.
Our flagship fundraiser, Simon’s Big Sleep Out 2023
Back in October, many of you braved one of the worst storms of the year to support Simon’s Big Sleep Out - we couldn’t be more grateful. Sponsored by the incredible team at DUSK.com, we were joined by teams and individuals on the night, all of who worked tirelessly to raise sponsorship for the event.
Whilst Simon’s Big Sleep Out is in no way intended to be a true reflection of homelessness, it does give a level of insight into the challenges faced by those who are rough sleeping.
Together, we raised an incredible £26,074 that will go directly toward keeping our Simon on the Streets outreach team in the community working with those experiencing homelessness. We’re already looking ahead to Simon’s Big Sleep Out 2024, and if you’d like to express your interest in taking part, all you need to do is get in touch.
New faces in the team
Earlier this year, we were very excited to welcome Andy Sharpe to Simon on the Streets as our Senior Fundraiser.
Andy has brought with him many years of valuable experience, skills and knowledge, and it’s been wonderful to see our charity benefit from that as he works to raise our charity profile and coordinate our fundraising and events.
We know that many of you have had the chance to get to know Andy better at our various events throughout the year, and he’s always happy to chat to anyone who would like to help raise funds for Simon on the Streets. You can email him at andy@simononthestreets.co.uk.
Lighting up Leeds
We were so proud to be present at Light Night Leeds for the first time this year. Working with the David Oluwale Memorial Association, we had the honour of highlighting David’s story, and being part of the campaign to raise awareness around the very real issues and stigmas that surround homelessness.
Continued corporate support
A huge thank you has to go to all the businesses and organisations that chose Simon on the Streets to be their chosen charity partner in 2023, and to all of you who have joined our 5-for-5 scheme.
The ongoing support from local businesses is a huge part of what keeps us going as an organisation. We hope you’ve enjoyed taking part in all of your fundraising efforts this year - some of you really did go above and beyond. From the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge to company quiz nights, your efforts are very much appreciated.
Fantastic individual fundraisers
Thank you to each and every individual who has gone out of their way to support our work this year. Marathons, hikes, one-off donations, volunteering - however you’ve helped us this year, everything you’ve done and achieved has helped us to make a difference to the lives of those facing homelessness.
As an independent charity, it’s your support that keeps our organisation going, and outreach team ‘out there’. It’s you that’s making all the difference, and it’s you that’s helping us to tackle homelessness head-on.
We’re so excited to see what 2024 holds. More events, more connections, more incredible fundraising. We hope you’ll be a part of it. As you may have seen from our social pages, the Simon on the Streets Christmas Appeal is live and open for donations. We’re over half way to our target! If you would like to help us reach it, you can do so here.
For now, from everyone here at Simon on the Streets, we’d like to wish you a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.