Jersey Charity Leader Urges Public to Participate in Sleep-Out Event

A Jersey-based charity dedicated to assisting the homeless has extended an invitation to residents of the island to participate in its yearly sleep-out. Tim Ringsdore, who leads the Sanctuary Trust, stated that the occasion “gives people a high-level feel” of the experience of homelessness. The organization successfully generated £35,000 in 2023, and Mr. Ringsdore noted that participants only require a sleeping bag and a piece of cardboard for sleeping. The event is scheduled to occur at the Pier Road car park on Friday, commencing at 20:00 and concluding at 06:00 GMT. Mr. Ringsdore cautioned prospective attendees that “it is not much fun,” yet affirmed that it would “give everyone a flavour of what it might be like should you find yourself in that situation.” He further elaborated, “It’s cold and you are exhausted, frankly, because you don’t get a lot of sleep.” “We get a wide variety of people from young children to people of my age. The support we get from the community is absolutely fantastic and every penny counts,” he remarked. He also mentioned that the charity allocates a significant portion of its resources predominantly to assisting men. “The trust is there to help these men in their hour of need and to try and get them back into society and help them be more self-sustaining and give them some hope,” he conveyed. Mr. Ringsdore additionally stated, “We have probably about 1,000 people on the island who are affected by [homelessness] so the work we do and the other charities do is absolutely essential to help these people back on their feet.”