Bootle-based waste management company will become a main sponsor of the October event organised by  The Whitechapel Centre in Liverpool

Merseyside waste management company Gaskells Waste Services is stepping up its support for The Whitechapel Centre by becoming main sponsors of the homelessness charity’s annual ‘sleepout’. 

The sleepout takes place on Friday, October 11, in St James in the City churchyard and will see hundreds of people swapping their beds for sleeping bags and cardboard boxes to raise money to continue the charity’s work to end homelessness in Liverpool.

The event regularly raises more than £40,000 but putting it on doesn’t come cheap as there are costs such as security and catering which have to be taken into account. This is why Gaskells have decided to step in, to ensure more of the money raised on the night goes to the people who need it.

The Bootle-based waste management company has worked in partnership with The Whitechapel Centre for two years, supporting them financially and also helping to raise awareness of the dangers of rough sleepers taking refuge in commercial bins, which in some tragic cases in the past has ended with fatal consequences.

Gaskells’ main truck on the Liverpool route is branded with The Whitechapel Centre’s logo and phone number and all their commercial bins have stickers on, warning of the dangers of sleeping in bins along with the contact details for The Whitechapel Centre.

Gaskells also actively fundraises for The Whitechapel Centre and last year raised more than £10,000 with a number of events including a bin truck pull at Aintree, a pie-off, and swear boxes in the office.

Commercial director at Gaskells Waste Services, Denise Banks, said “Homelessness is an issue which is very close to our hearts as our drivers see people sleeping on the streets every single day, which is why we’ve been working with The Whitechapel Centre for the past few years.

“We’ve seen first-had the work they do at their centres and have also been joined on our Liverpool truck by Russ, one of the outreach workers. Some of our staff have even swapped their bed for sleeping bags and taken part in the Liverpool Sleepout for the past two years, which was a real eye opener, and has made us want to get more involved this year.”