St Joseph Team Takes on a Chilly Challenge

In a bid to support the prevention of youth homelessness in Birmingham, members of Berkeley Group's St Joseph team took part in St Basils' BIG SleepOut on Friday 29 November.

The team braved sub-zero temperatures to sleep under the stars, raising £2,300 for St Joseph's charity partner - marking the second time the firm has taken part in the annual event.

Now in its thirtieth year, St Basils' 2019 BIG Brum SleepOut was attended by over 500 people who spent the night in the city's St Philip's Square. The event also involved live music, homemade food and a creative cardboard shelter competition. The seven spirited participants from St Joseph used their combined skills to make their cardboard shelter, highlighting the difficulties of building it whilst battling the elements of the night, and were later crowned winners.

Louise Woollen, Sustainability Advisor at St Joseph said:

"Youth homelessness is a serious issue both in the Midlands and across the UK. As a firm, we are committed to its prevention which is why we have partnered with St Basils, a charity making a real difference to the lives of vulnerable young people.

"The annual BIG Brum SleepOut is a standout event, uniting businesses and individuals to raise valuable funds and awareness of the challenges faced by those affected. Our team are proud to have taken part and look forward to continue supporting St Basils."

St Basils works with young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in the West Midlands. Between April 2018 and March 2019, 4,446 young people sought assistance from the Birmingham-based charity.