UCFB staff have been busy raising money for Greater Manchester’s A Bed Every Night campaign through a series of fun and challenging events.
Earlier this year UCFB pledged to raise £50,000 towards the fund, which aims to provide a warm and comfortable bed for anyone sleeping on the street in the region, as well as personal support.
A Bed Every Night was introduced by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, when he was elected in 2017. UCFB is one of a number of organisations in the region who are contributing to the campaign, which has so far raised over £3m to help to support over 2,000 people. Of that number nearly 700 people have moved into permanent accommodation.
Staff have been helping to raise money by taking part in a range of activities, including the Three Peaks Challenge and Tough Mudder, as well as raffles at staff events and donations. Further events are planned for staff including a bike ride between UCFB’s two UK campuses.
We were honoured to be joined by @MayorofGM @AndyBurnhamGM and @BurnleyOfficial CEO David Baldwin at our annual employee briefing conferences in Manchester & London this week. 👏
— UCFB (@ucfb) September 5, 2019
We were also joined by @PennyHaslam who delivered inspirational and confidence boosting keynotes! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/i28qtWQCTm
Brendan Flood, UCFB Chairman, commented: “Half of UCFB’s workforce live and work in the Greater Manchester region, as do many of our students, so we’re all aware of the homelessness crisis on our doorstep. Staff have put a lot of time and effort into arranging and then participating in numerous tasks to raise money for the A Bed Every Night fund with much success.
“With the winter months just around the corner, all of us at UCFB are determined to reach the £50,000 mark and to do our bit to get people off the street and into safe and warm accommodation.”
Burnham recently spoke to UCFB staff at their annual conference to thank them for their efforts and to announce that the initiative is to move into its second phase, meaning there will be 400 beds available across Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs until at least June 2020.
Commenting on the extension, he said: “In 2017, I made a firm commitment to do everything I could to end the need for rough sleeping by 2020 and it remains my top priority. With this strengthening of A Bed Every Night, I believe we have a plan that honours that pledge.
“People gave us honest feedback on Phase 1 and these new plans seek to respond to it. It is not perfect but it is getting better all the time. Today Greater Manchester is going up yet another gear in its response to the homelessness crisis.”
Click here to find out more about A Bed Every Night and how you can contribute.
