Join the movement. Top tips for the World’s Big Sleep Out

What started right here in Edinburgh has now gone global. This year Social Bite’s Sleep in the Park has grown to become the World’s Big Sleep Out and in over 50 cities all over the world people will sleep out in unison to create the world’s largest display of solidarity with those people experiencing homelessness and displacement.

On Saturday 7th December the World’s Big Sleep Out in Edinburgh will take place in Princes Street Gardens. All funds raised will go towards projects which support our mission of ending homelessness.

Are you ready to join the movement?

Yes? Great. Here’s some tips to help get you prepared to sleep out.

Bring your friends, colleagues, neighbours, parents…
It’s going to be a fun but challenging night. A night that you will get a lot more out of by signing up as a group and joining people around the world all sleeping out for the same cause. With lots of time spent together, you really will have shared an amazing experience with each other.
You can also set a challenge to see who in your team can raise the most money!

Wrap up warm. Really warm!
Layers are best – anything that traps the heat and keeps out the damp. Begin with a thermal layer and build up. Comfort is also key. Don’t wear anything too tight or restrictive. A warm outdoor jacket is a must as well as hats, scarves and gloves.

Remember that people who are regularly rough sleeping often don’t have the luxury of thermal clothing, so this is just a taste. For those who have no home, the experience of sleeping outside is an everyday reality.

Get your equipment ready
You will need to bring equipment for you to sleep in Princes Street Gardens. A good quality sleeping bag and sleeping mat is essential. We recommend a 3-4 season bag suitable for winter. Bivvy bags – big orange survival bags – will be issued to everyone taking part, to make sure your sleeping bag remains dry. If you think you’ll only use these for this one night, then donate it afterwards to a charity that works with people experiencing homelessness. You can find out more at one of our Impact Tents on the night.

Put a fresh pair of socks in a carrier bag for the morning
Before you head out for the event, wrap up a clean pair of thick socks in a sandwich or carrier bag and then sleep with them in your sleeping bag. Your feet in particular are going to be very cold in the morning and so these socks that have been kept out of the damp air will be a warm treat for your toes.

Stay clear of the alcohol but stay near the hot drinks
There will be an endless supply of free hot drinks all night served by amazing Social Bite volunteers, so make sure you keep replenished. An insulated cup or thermos is a good idea to keep the liquid warmer for longer. Alcohol is not allowed at the event as it increases the risk of hypothermia.

A selection of delicious street food will also be available to buy and you may want to pack some high energy snacks like muesli bars. There is nothing like cold for increasing the metabolism!

Enjoy the entertainment!
There will be music, singing, a bedtime story from Rab C Nesbitt (otherwise know as Gregory Fisher) so bring your singing voice, a sense of humour and enjoy what’s on offer. The venue, Princes St Gardens will be open from 5.30pm, with entertainment from 7pm.

Get fundraising
Whilst there is no minimum fundraising target, we want to raise as much money for local and global projects tackling homelessness. So don’t be shy! Share the link to your Virgin Money Giving page on your social media, on your work intranet, or anywhere else you can think of! You can also download a sponsorship form for some good old paper sponsorship. There will be prizes for those who manage to raise the most money, so get going!

Read up on the cause
Previous Social Bite sleep out events have helped us build the Social Bite Village and fund a nationwide Housing First programme. This year funds will continue to fund these projects along with other new projects which all help us in our mission to end homelessness in Scotland. Read up on the cause so that you can really know your stuff when asking for people to donate.

Share the experience
We want as many people as possible all around the world to be talking about ending homelessness and displacement. Share photos, videos and experiences online using #BigSleepOut.

Head home in the morning
Luckily, most of you will be able to return home to a roof over your head on Sunday 8th December. From around 5am people will be packing up their sleeping bags and heading somewhere warm as quickly as possible. Please make sure you haven’t left any rubbish or equipment behind. We want to return the gardens in the condition we found them.

Take a moment to reflect on what you have just done. Tell your friends about your experience and keep up the fundraising momentum once you have got yourself warm. The reality is that 80-120 people sleep rough in Edinburgh alone every night and many more people in temporary hostels and shelters without the safety and comfort most of us enjoy.

So. Ready to sign up?

That’s easy. You can sign up to Edinburgh here or find a sleep out somewhere else in the world here.

Let’s do this.