On the 8th of February 2025, 7 Wisbech volunteers from Feed Fenland and Wisbech Street Supplies will sleep on the streets of Wisbech to raise money for the homeless. Volunteers will spend 15 hours in sleeping bags and tents in solidarity with rough sleepers and other homeless people in Wisbech and the surrounding area. All funds raised will be split equally between Feed Fenland and Wisbech Street Supplies.
Homelessness is getting worse, and people are relying more than ever on support services. As of December 2024, 224 people in Fenland are homeless, which is 32% more than in 2023. Nationally, the number of rough sleepers in Great Britain has risen by 120% since 2010.
Feed Fenland serves on average 122 meals a night and Street Supplies provided 21 people with sleeping bags or tents in 2024.
“It is an incredibly difficult time for rough sleepers,” said George Broughton, one of the founders of Street Supplies.
“There are so many barriers blocking people from getting off the streets. Even for a bed in a hostel, the rent can be quite expensive. You need all kinds of documentation, including evidence that you’re not a medical risk.
“So, every year there are more and more people falling through the cracks, who need food and other supplies just to stay alive.”
On the 8th of February 2025, both groups will come together to raise money and awareness.
Feed Fenland is a soup kitchen serving hot food 6 nights a week to anyone in need in Wisbech. Street Supplies is a mutual aid group which distributes sleeping bags, tents, clothes, and other essentials to rough sleepers and people experiencing other forms of homelessness.
Wisbech volunteers
A donation of £80 covers the cost of ingredients for one night of food at Feed Fenland. £30 allows Street Supplies to purchase a tent for one rough sleeper. £4 will pay for a hygiene bundle for Street Supplies to give to a rough sleeper.
Both groups rely on the support of the local community to continue helping local people in need.
To donate: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/feed-fenland-sleep-out?utm_medium=CA&utm_source=CL
To find out more: https://www.facebook.com/FeedFenland, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571480990245, and https://www.facebook.com/groups/1644959152706119
