Press Release - 19 July 2013

Youth homelessness charity Depaul UK is calling on the UK’s Catholic schools to get involved with its first ever annual sponsored Sleep Out/Sleep In and raise vital funds to support their nationwide work with young homeless people.

The Sleep Out/Sleep In will take place on 27th September 2013, to coincide with the Feast Day of St Vincent de Paul, the patron saint of charity whose work and values inspires the work of Depaul UK.

Schools can hold their sleep out in the playground or playing field. Students can also sleep inside the school.

The Sleep Out/Sleep In comes at a time when the need for support for young homeless people is particularly pressing. Most recent figures show that around 80,000 young people will experience homelessness in a year and that the number of young people seeking help from homelessness organisations and agencies is rising.

Tim Harford, Depaul UK’s Head of Donor Care and Individual Giving said, “We’re really hoping to build on the tremendous support we’ve had from the Catholic community to date with our first ever annual Sleep Out/Sleep In.  It’s not just an opportunity for schools to raise funds for the work we do with really vulnerable young people throughout the country- young people who have often had to cope with challenging situations since they were very young -it’s also an opportunity to encourage pupils to think about those less fortunate than themselves and put into action the virtues of charity and compassion.”

Depaul UK’s Sleep Out/Sleep In is supported by the charity’s patron, The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster.  The Archbishop says: “ Depaul UK helps young people who find themselves homeless to overcome their circumstances, which are often traumatic. It does so by helping them to find stability, a place to call home, and a hope for their future.  As patron of Depaul UK, I am pleased to offer my endorsement of this sponsored schools Sleep Out/Sleep In.  Schools wishing to participate do so with my encouragement and blessing.”

Teachers can register their school and get further information about how to organise and hold their Sleep Out/Sleep In at www.depauluk.org/sleepout.  For any questions email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or telephone 0207 939 1276. 

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Notes to Editors

1) About Depaul UK. Depaul UK is the UK’s largest youth homelessness charity. It provides and supports over 125,000 bednights a year to homeless and vulnerable young people and has helped more than 50,000 people since it was founded in 1989. The charity continues to work with more than 5,000 young people a year. Depaul UK is the new name for Depaul Trust, Registered Charity No .802384.  www.depauluk.org. Twitter @depauluk