Representatives of Kirkby Rotary Club are being joined by members of Ashwood Church, Kirkby, to sleep out overnight to help the homeless.

They will be at the Plaza, Kirkby, from 10pm on Saturday 19th December to 6.30am the following morning. Like so many homeless people all over the country, they will be equipped with only a cardboard box, plastic sheet and sleeping bag.

The aim is to raise funds through sponsorship and on-the-spot collection for the Mansfield Winter Shelter project. The charity feeds and gives cover to the district’s homeless during the coldest winter months. It is organised largely by the Mansfield Baptist Church, in co-operation with Mansfield District Council, Transforming Notts Together (TNT) and the Home Group, and has been operating for several years

Rotary organiser Philip Hurt says: “If you are anywhere near the Plaza on the Saturday night or Sunday morning, please do stop and have a word with us – and make a donation! Alongside the 20 or so rough sleepers will be a small team of monitors, mostly Rotarians, in cars, taking turns to ensure the wellbeing of the temporarily homeless fundraisers. Early in the morning, all the team will be able to have a warming breakfast at a nearby café.”

Hannah Buck of TNT explains: “We have up to 12 bed spaces, using lilos and sleeping bags in the hall at Mansfield Baptist Church. The shelter will be running on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from 4th December to 28th February, also on Christmas Eve, and hot meals will be served every night.

At other times when the weather is below zero for more than three nights in a row, the Council will run additional sessions at their accommodation in Tideswell Court.”

The sleep-out, a new departure for Kirkby Rotary, is part of the club’s extensive Christmas programme of community and fundraising activities. Santa’s grotto is currently in full swing every weekend at the Reuben Shaw garden centre in Moor Green, the games stall at Kirkby Carnival recently was very successful, and Santa’s sleigh is out and about in Kirkby’s plaza and residential streets. The main charities being supported by Kirkby Rotary Club this Christmas are the Bluebell Wood and Rainbows children’s hospices.