Care home team sleep out to help the homeless

Care home workers from Barchester’s North Park care centre in Darlington spent 24 hours on the streets from 9.00 am on July 13 to 9.00 am on July 14 to raise awareness of homelessness in Darlington and to raise funds for local homeless charities.

Staff and residents at North Park had been discussing what charities they wanted to support. Residents at the home expressed a concern about the number of people sleeping rough in Darlington so staff decided to take part in The Big Sleep Out in order to do their bit to help.

A team of six staff from the home including General Manager, Lisa Frame, Deputy Manager Ben Patterson plus carers, Louise Clifton and Devon Taylor, the home’s Dementia Champion, Becky Cadman and Senior Head of Maintenance, Steve Hagen decided to sleep rough on July 13 to raise funds for local homeless charities. The team were joined throughout the day by residents who came along to offer their support and chat to those who joined them to tell their stories of life on the streets.

So far the team has raised over £500, please go to https://www.justgiving.com/croudfunding/northpark-carecentre?utm_term=wAEnEP4Vw if you’d like to donate, there’s still time.

General Manager, Lisa Frame, says: “I am so proud of everyone at North Park, it has been a real team effort. From the staff members who braved the elements with me to all the different members of staff who helped and supported us, and of course our fantastic residents who came up with the idea in the first place.

Sleeping out was a real eye opener for all of us and it is something that no one should have to do. Please help us to raise more money to help homeless charities in our area. Sleeping rough was no fun even in the height of summer and it would be amazing to think we have helped people get off the streets in our local area. We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated, your support means the world.”

North Park is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. North Park provides residential care and respite care for sixty people.

click here for more details or to contact Barchester North Park Care Home