More than 50 people joined the sleepout at Tranmere Rovers FC  to raise essential funds whilst increasing awareness of Wirral Ark, along with six other Wirral organisations

More than 50 people braved the rain and cold on Friday night as Wirral Ark’s first sleep out in aid of local homeless people took place at Tranmere Rovers FC. 

Kip on the Kop aimed to raise essential funds whilst increasing awareness of the work that Wirral Ark does, along with six other Wirral organisations who accepted the Ark’s invitation to participate.  

Each participant was responsible for their own warmth and arrived armed with cardboard, pillows, sleeping bags and tarpaulins whilst kitted out in multiple layers. Some groups got creative, using tarpaulin to create covered shelters, protecting them from the elements while they bedded down on the concrete between rows of seats.

Alessandria Atria, taking part with a colleague from NW Security Group: “Spending a night in the cold will give me a human understanding. You see someone in the road at night, you feel for them and you try to help them, but it’s not the same as understanding what they are actually going through.”

Tranmere Rovers front of house manager, Lindsey Young, stayed behind to serve homemade soup before returning at 5am to make bacon rolls for the sleepy fundraisers.

Participants pre-registered for the event online and aimed to raise a minimum of £50 per person in sponsorship, through online fundraising platforms and sponsor forms, and the event has raised more than £10,000 so far with paper-based sponsorship still to be counted.

Organiser Pauline Cox of Wirral Ark said she was inspired to put the event together after seeing the success of the Everton sleep outs at Goodson Park.

“Amanda at Everton was really helpful, I approached her for some guidance for our sleep out and applied it to our event plan,” she explained. “I worked really closely with Pete at Tranmere who has been fantastic throughout the planning stages and even stayed on the night.”

Wirral Ark are hoping to make the sleep out an annual event as homelessness continues to increase, with the North West of England in 2017 seeing the biggest percentage increase in rough sleeping since the previous year (39%).

For further information about Wirral Ark and future fundraising activities, contact fundraising@wirralark.org.uk