Five Days, Five Nights, One Community | Supporting Colne Open Door Centre

From Monday 9th to Friday 13th November, I'll be giving up the comforts of home and spending five days and five nights living outside the Open Door Centre, raising awareness of homelessness and, importantly, raising vital funds for our charity.
 
I'm incredibly grateful to be joined throughout the challenge by Gregg Stevenson MBE, Rachel Pickard, Shaun Grant, Patrick Macadam and our Chair of Trustees, Wez Evans, who will each be giving up a night of their own comforts to support the cause.
 
Throughout the challenge, I'll be relying entirely on the Open Door Centre for the things we often take for granted, including food, washing facilities, electricity and somewhere warm to sit.
 
But when the shutters go down at the end of each day, that will be it. No popping home for a shower, no warm bed and no coming back inside until the centre reopens the following morning. I'll be spending the nights outside, experiencing just how important having somewhere to turn can be.
 
Of course, five days and nights can never truly replicate the reality of homelessness, but hopefully this challenge will help shine a light on the difficulties faced by those who find themselves without a home.
 
And whilst homelessness is at the heart of this challenge, the fundraiser is about something much bigger.
 
As many of you will know through your own professional involvement with us, Open Door is often the place people turn to when life becomes incredibly difficult. Whether that's someone facing homelessness, a family struggling to put food on the table, an individual experiencing poor mental health, or somebody who simply needs a friendly face and somewhere to feel safe, our doors are open to them.
 
We provide free counselling, crisis support, food parcels, community meals, peer support groups and so much more, often supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our community.
 
But the reality is that none of this happens without fundraising.
 ​

Events like this are absolutely vital in allowing us to continue providing the services that so many individuals, families and indeed professionals have come to rely upon.
 
As a charity, we're incredibly proud of the relationships we've built with local professionals and organisations. Many of the people we support first come through our doors because somebody like yourselves has recognised that they need a little extra help.
 
That's why I wanted to share this challenge with you personally.
 
If you, your colleagues or your organisation would like to support our fundraiser, whether through a donation, sharing our appeal or simply helping us spread the word, it would be genuinely appreciated.
 
You can read more about the challenge and support our fundraising efforts through our JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/homelesschallenge
 
There is absolutely no obligation. We know how much pressure so many organisations are under themselves, but every bit of support makes a difference.
 
Ultimately, this challenge is about ensuring that Colne Open Door Centre can continue being there for people when they need us most.
 
Thank you, as always, for your continued support, your referrals and the important part you play in helping us make a difference across our community.
 ​