What an incredible turnout we had for this year’s SleepOut, which took place on Friday the 4th of April outside St John’s Church in Blackpool.

Every year, we take on the Sleepout to raise vital funds for our services, and every year, we are blown away by the immense support of the local community.

2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the event, so we knew we wanted it to be bigger and better than ever.

The Big SleepOut 2025 was sponsored by the amazing Beaverbrooks, and we are extremely grateful for their support.

What services does Streetlife provide?

The aim of the SleepOut is to raise awareness about youth homelessness and to fundraise for the services we provide at Streetlife. Our services include an eight-bed emergency shelter and a day centre which operates all year round.

Who do Streetlife support?

Our support is for young people aged between 16 and 25 who find themselves homeless in Blackpool. We are extremely passionate about supporting these individuals as they are often vulnerable and facing hardship due to the economic climate in England. We have seen a significant increase in the number of people needing to use our services over the last two years.

The Big SleepOut 2025

On Friday the 4th of April, 110 amazing locals took their sleeping bags to the cobbles of St John’s Square for one night. We were delighted to be joined by the wonderful Managing Director of Beaverbrooks, Anna Blackburn, who has taken part three times before. Anna brought a large team of employees with her, who will all have their sponsorships doubled by the locally based jewellers.

The Big SleepOut brings an immense community feel, even when it’s cold and windy outside! Everyone is passionate about working together and helping to raise money for our services.

We’re grateful to the amazing team at Blackpool Church, including Rev Andy Dykes, who helped to keep our participants warm with free tea and coffee throughout the night. Our fantastic SleepOut team worked so hard to ensure that everyone was safe and supported from 8 pm until 6 am when the event finished.

The local community lifted our spirits

Local LGBTQIA+ choir Electric Pink Voices kicked the evening off with a surprise flash mob to celebrate the 10th Big Sleepout and lift everyone’s spirits. They brought positivity and encouraged audience participation in singing and dancing along to empowering anthems.

This was extremely heartwarming to see and aligned perfectly with Streetlife’s own mission of empowerment. We’re proud to say that the LGBTQIA+ was overrepresented in the 330 local young people that Streetlife supported last year.

Thanks to Blackpool Council, the wonderful Blackpool Tower was lit purple for the night. We were also delighted to have received a visit from the Mayor and Mayoress, who came along to offer their support to all of those taking part before heading home to warm up. It makes us proud to see how much of a community event this has become.

Kim Hughes, Communications Manager at Streetlife, said, “We are blown away by the number of people that took part this year and the incredible fundraising, especially in such hard financial times. Blackpool’s community has smashed it again! At present, we are currently on £31,500 including GiftAid, which will make such a huge difference to the young people we support.”

We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who got involved in this year’s SleepOut event. Whether you took part or sent us a donation, we really appreciate your support.

Donations are still being collected, and you can contribute here: Streetlife BIG Sleepout 2025 – 10th Anniversary! – JustGiving

Keep your eyes peeled for the Big SleepOut 2026!