It was the coldest night of the year so far but that did not deter the wonderful challenge-loving Londoners who braved the bitter conditions for ABC’s Big City Sleep and helped to raise £19,000.

On 30th November, the floor of Spitalfields Market in London’s east-end was covered with cardboard boxes which became beds for the night for a 12-hr mass sleep-out challenge. Sleepers from all over London turned up, including students, professionals, young and old, men and women. ABC Trust thanks each and every sleeper who endured the tough conditions to raise vital funds and awareness to help street children and vulnerable young people of Brazil. THANK YOU!

The Big City sleepers came prepared with sleeping bags, blankets, woolly hats, gloves and scarves, but no amount of insulation could have beaten off the frost that night. The evening started with a presentation from ABC Trust, including a film about our work and the projects we support, and a speech from Jimena Page (ABC founder) who also took part in the challenge herself, she commented...

“We all take our home comforts for granted, so this is to help people understand a little of what street children have to go through. But we are in a sheltered and secure space, with hot food and entertainment, we also have homes and jobs to back to. Meanwhile, Seven million children continue suffering from hunger, isolation and violence on the streets of Brazil every day. ABC Trust helps prevent vulnerable young people from ending up on the streets in the first place - thanks to our supporters and Thank you sleepers for all your hard work, support and generosity”.

Sleepers were then given some much needed hot food (thanks to LEON restaurant) before they settled back down on the cardboard boxes to enjoy some live acoustic music by Anglo-Brazilian band Zeep. This was followed by a warm-up session by the East London Capoeira Group who wowed the crowd with the Brazilian martial art dance form before sleepers bedded down for the night with silver foil blankets to keep the chill out. This was the toughest part of the challenge as the temperature dropped to minus-1 degree Celcius in the early hours. The following morning, all the rough sleepers were provided with hot tea and light breakfast (courtesy of Tesco) before they made their way back to their normal lives.

photo by photographer John Cardone

The Big City Sleep was an incredible success for ABC Trust and thanks to the wonderful efforts of the sleeping fundraisers we have managed to raise approximately £19,000 - and we are still collecting. Whilst our evening was made enjoyable by the brilliant entertainment and hot food we were lucky enough to receive, the experience could not fail to have a very strong impact on everyone involved. This may have been only a very small way for us to try to appreciate the hardship faced by the millions of vulnerable children and young people in Brazil, but we know that the money raised for ABC Trust through this challenge really will make a big difference. Thank you to all and see you on the cardboard next year!

To see the full gallery of photos by Ben Graham, please visit his website here.

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