Social Bite has announced that award-winning children’s author and comedian David Walliams will join its homelessness cause by specially recording a bedtime story for young people taking part in a mass sponsored sleep out to help end homelessness.
The exclusive video will be sent to the thousands of participants of Social Bite’s Wee Sleep Out which happens across Scotland on the weekend of 6 and 7 of December. It is anticipated that 10,000 under 18s will take part in the Wee Sleep Out in whatever venue they choose – inside or out – from back gardens and school grounds to community halls, living room floors and sports centres.
Walliams has sold more than 25 million books worldwide and is keeping his choice of story for the Wee Sleep Out ‘midnight gang’ a secret until the event. He said: “I’m delighted to support the Wee Sleep Out. The compassion and grit of today’s young people is an inspiration to us all, and these sleep outs are yet another opportunity for them to show up all of us adults.”
The brainchild of Social Bite Co-Founder, Dr Alice Thompson, Wee Sleep Out is a national fundraising campaign for under 18s who want to join the Social Bite movement to end homelessness in Scotland, by putting on their own sponsored event. Supporting adults can register in behalf of their schools and youth groups, and parents/carers can hold one at home.
Throughout the lead up to these events, Thompson and her team travel the length and breadth of Scotland, including the Orkney Islands this year, delivering workshops to participating young people. These workshops encourage them to think about their social objectives, while educating them about homelessness and supporting them to plan their own sleep out fundraiser.
This year, for one year only, the sponsored sleep outs model is rolled out across the rest of the UK as part of The World’s Big Sleep Out, making Walliams bedtime story also available to children UK wide.
Dr Alice Thompson said: “I can’t think of anyone better suited than David Walliams to fill this role for Wee Sleep Out, especially for our young audiences. We’ll also have an exciting bedtime story read by Will Smith for our slightly older groups of young people, which is shared with The World’s Big Sleep Out.
“This sort of support from known figures is a great encouragement and resource for the thousands of young people all over Scotland and the rest of the UK dedicating their time and energy towards helping end homelessness.”
To find out more or register go to www.weesleepout.co.uk
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