Wiganers sleep out at DW Stadium to raise money for homeless charity

More than 100 Wiganers swapped their beds for sleeping bags in support of homeless charity The Brick at the DW Stadium SleepOut.
Fundraising manager from The Brick - Janet Mitchell - serving soup to the participantsFundraising manager from The Brick - Janet Mitchell - serving soup to the participants
Fundraising manager from The Brick - Janet Mitchell - serving soup to the participants

This year, The Brick teamed up with its charity partner Wigan Athletic to put on the annual event, so people could spend the night sleeping in the south stand concourse at the stadium – to raise funds to help people facing homelessness, poverty or debt crisis across the borough.

Families, scout groups, businesses, and individuals joined in with the event – with one young girl even bringing along her GCSE revision, and another woman, Donia Lee, who had previously been homeless herself, also showing her support.

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The 31-year-old, who is now happily settled with a job, partner and son, said: “When I was younger I went through a similar experience, where I was living out on the street for a period of time.

The Brick sleepout Chief executive of Latics - Jonathan JacksonThe Brick sleepout Chief executive of Latics - Jonathan Jackson
The Brick sleepout Chief executive of Latics - Jonathan Jackson

"I had no one to turn to and no support, so I wanted to join in with the SleepOut to make a difference to other lives.

"Events like this are so important to raise awareness, as you can walk past people in the street, and have a lack of understanding of why people have ended up there and what support they need.”

Wigan Athletic stars including Sam Morsy, Dan Burn and Will Grigg were unable to join the SleepOut due to Saturday’s match against MK Dons – but sent video messages of support along with manager Paul Cook.

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Morsy said: "Good luck to everyone joining the SleepOut, I hope the fans can get behind it to make a donation to The Brick – the charity does an amazing job.”

The Brick sleepout Chief executive of Latics - Jonathan JacksonThe Brick sleepout Chief executive of Latics - Jonathan Jackson
The Brick sleepout Chief executive of Latics - Jonathan Jackson

Representatives from Latics on the night included chief executive Jonathan Jackson and Tom Flower – head of community.

Mr Jackson said: “It was fantastic to see all the support for The Brick from people in Wigan – and we feel honoured to have been a part of this amazing event.”