The principal and CEO of Leeds College of Building has joined a growing list of senior managers taking part in CEO Sleepout.
Nikki Davis, the first female principal in the history of Leeds College of Building, will be sleeping under the stars to raise awareness of homelessness across the UK and reach a donation target of £1,000 for charity.
Nikki is the only senior manager from the Further Education sector currently registered to participate in the Leeds CEO Sleepout.
CEO Sleepout Leeds will take place at LUFC’s Elland Road on Thursday, 20 April, from 8 pm – 6.30 am. The event is open to business leaders, owners, c-suite execs, directors, and teams who will unite together and experience sleeping rough to fight poverty and homelessness in the UK.
Nikki said: “Homelessness is increasing and far more nuanced than we realised. The reasons for homelessness are complex, and sadly the support networks for people of all ages are not fully accessible. Personally, I hear more stories of students who might be sofa surfing or are made homeless quickly, and it’s such a difficult position for them to manage. As a college, we do all we can to help individual students, and by taking part in this event, I hope to raise awareness and funds to support more people.”
According to the latest statistics from the Government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2022 was 3,069. This figure was up 26% from 2021. Most people sleeping rough in England are male, aged over 26 years old, and from the UK.
CEO Sleepout is a national charity set up in 2013 to inspire the business community to unite and fight homelessness, raising money for frontline services and helping to change lives. CEO Sleepout events are held in cities the length of the UK, raising funds that make a difference to people facing homelessness in host cities.
To date, over £3.6 million pounds has been raised by CEO Sleepout, involving more than 5,000 participants. Funds have been donated to over 100 hard-working charities nationwide on the frontline of homelessness.
