The Mayor of East Staffordshire, Councillor Simon Gaskin has officially signed up to take part in the annual YMCA sleep-out - and has invited his wife to join him.

The event, which takes place on Friday, November 10 in Tamworth, and Saturday, November 11 in Burton will give people the opportunity to find out the harsh realities of being homeless and sleeping rough.

Volunteers "sleeping rough" in Tamworth will walk the 14 miles to Burton, then camp out in either the tunnels of the Pirelli Stadium, home of Burton Albion, or in the graveyard at St Modwen's Church, in Burton's Market Place.

Last year saw a record-breaking 155 people take part, with volunteers ranging from as young as six up to 75, raising £33,602 for the Burton branch of the YMCA which helps homeless people in the area.

Councillor Gaskin will be sleeping rough alongside his wife, Mrs Jane Gaskin.

He said: "When we visited the main homeless site Reconnect, we decided we would definitely give up our bed for the night and are only too pleased to support the sleep-out. If you are considering it, do it. It really is a worthy sacrifice to help other people."

Councillor Simon Gaskin and his wife, Jane Gaskin will be sleeping rough on November 11
Councillor Simon Gaskin and his wife, Jane Gaskin will be sleeping rough on November 11

Paula Senior, the fund-raising officer at the YMCA in Burton, said: "We are delighted that the Mayor and Mayoress Councillor Simon Gaskin and Mrs Jane Gaskin will be joining us for sleep-out 2017.

"With a packed schedule of commitments serving our borough, they are committed to supporting local people and understanding the homelessness issues by giving up their bed for the night.

"This will be their first time taking part and follows on from Councillor Beryl Toon who undertook the sleep-out during her terms as deputy and Mayor of East Staffordshire. We look forward to welcoming them at the Pirelli Stadium."

The YMCA sleep-out

The Burton Mail signs up for the YMCA sleep-out

A Burton Mail reporter will be taking part in the YMCA sleep-out in November, aiming to raise awareness and funds for the homeless.

Anybody interested in donating to the Burton Mail’s contribution to the sleep-out event can visit the online dedicated fund-raising page at here

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