Ospreys in the Community and principal partner Philtronics will be holding their "Nestless Night" sleep out at the Swansea.com Stadium again in February and are looking for people to take part and help them reach their fundraising goal.
In collaboration with Action for Children, the sleep out will see people spend a night sleeping outside to help OitC raise £25,000 to sustain their recently launched “On Target” Programme.
Ospreys in the Community launched their first sleepout in 2019 which saw 96 brave sleepers take part, raising £22,000. Since the 2019 sleepout, OitC have supported over 3000 young people's mental health, helping them to build resilience and coping strategies.
On Target is an internationally acclaimed wellbeing programme for young people aged 13-19. Over six weeks, it teaches emotional resilience and reduces low mood and anxious thoughts. Crucially, it gets teenagers talking. OITC have already made a start on building towards the £25,000 target, raising £5,000 through a great raffle put together by Philtronics.
The Night
The Nestless Night will take place at the Swansea.com Stadium on February 17th, with an exact start time to be confirmed shortly.
Attendees will be able to watch the Ospreys on TV as they take on Munster at Thomond Park in their BKT United Rugby Championship fixture.
During the game, OitC will run through all the life-changing work they have carried out in the community up to date. This includes On Target and their Sporting Memories initiative that supports older people living with dementia, depression and loneliness by engaging them in social activities and helping them to recall memories of watching or playing sport.
After the final whistle, the sleep out will officially begin as attendees head outside for a cold night's sleep outside the stadium in a display of solidarity for people experiencing homelessness and displacement.
After waking up, a much-deserved warm coffee & snack will be provided for sleepers.
Anne Pritchard, Finance Director for Philtronics LTD, said: “Our last sleep out event at the Swansea.com Stadium was great fun! We had a team of 14 staff representing Philtronics and thoroughly enjoyed the night. The testimonies of the Action for Children staff & ambassadors were a real eye opener and struck a chord with everyone taking part, but it made it all the more special having put some effort into the fundraising part of the challenge. We would encourage everyone in the region to consider putting a team together and join our next Nestless Night in February. For those who can’t join physically but would like to support our fundraiser, please purchase some raffle tickets!”
Head of Community, Tom Sloane commented: “It’s great to have the opportunity to bring local business and individuals together once again, all raising funds to support the local community.Back in 2019 we had an incredible turnout and the money raised really made a difference within schools. None of us knew we were heading into a pandemic, but these vital programmes really do help our community through tough times, three years on we still find ourselves in a difficult economic crisis and support is needed more than ever. We’re hugely grateful to Anne & Simon from Philtronics LTD for their continued support and efforts to raise as much funds as possible.”
Each participant will be tasked to raise £150 in the lead up to the event.
To register for the sleep out please fill out the form below. For more information, contact Tom.Sloane@ospreysrugby.com
Want to support the event without the sleepless night? For £15 you can join us for the evenings entertainment, a hot meal and the Munster v Ospreys screening. Buy your tickets here.