Eden Camp, the modern history museum in North Yorkshire, is supporting the annual Royal British Legion Industries’ Great Tommy Sleep Out, in support of military veterans facing homelessness, this weekend.
From Saturday evening, a dedicated team of Eden Camp veterans and supporters will take part in the Great Tommy Sleepout, spending a night under the stars to raise vital funds for the RBLI.
Taking place within the historic grounds of Eden Camp in Malton, the event will see five Eden Camp veterans - Gavin Pickering, Lee White, Wayne McMahon, Alistair Candelin, and Adrian Wood - joined by Jill Winters, a veteran and nurse, embracing the cold in solidarity with those who have fallen on hard times. So far, the team has raised over £5,000 for the cause over the last two years with online and cash donations, and this year they would like to match their total to support this vital cause.
The Great Tommy Sleepout is an annual initiative that raises awareness of the struggles many veterans encounter after leaving service, particularly the challenges of homelessness and mental health issues. By braving the elements for one night, participants aim to highlight the hardships faced by thousands of former service personnel while raising much-needed funds to provide housing, employment support, and welfare services through RBLI.
Gavin Pickering, veteran & Eden Camp site services, said the sleep out is growing in numbers:
"It started out with just two of us, then there was four, and now we're up to 10 people. So there's not just ex-soldiers and veterans supporting this, it's the civilians as well. And we do this because it does make a difference.
"One of our supporters has been down to the British Legion down south where they have a village.
They have workshops, private hospitals for veterans. But it all needs paying for. So this is what we do it for to help our comrades."
He says it really brings home to people how tough homelessness can be:
" You can imagine if it's a really cold night and you're just in a sleeping bag under a bit of canvas or sleeping on a bench, and that's just one night, you imagine doing that for month after month and so it just piles pressure on them.
"If they've got mental health problems, they're out on the street, starving. Well, I won't say starving. As in starving as such, but hungry and cold and having to sleep out and you go to sleep on a night and wake up on the morning, there's nothing. You're cold and the same thing day after day after day. It does take a toll on your mental health."
Nick Hill, Museum Manager at Eden Camp, said:
“At Eden Camp, we’re proud of our strong connections to the Armed Forces community. Supporting the Great Tommy Sleepout reflects our ongoing commitment to honouring service and standing by veterans beyond their time in uniform. We are incredibly proud of our team for stepping up to make a difference and shine a light on an issue that deserves national attention.”
To donate or to find out more about Eden Camp visit, https://edencamp.co.uk/GreatTommySleepout
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