28th February 2013 – Trustmarque will be highlighting the plight of homeless young people in the region next month by sleeping out overnight. A team of 14 will be braving the elements to sleep out all night, with just sleeping bags and cardboard boxes for shelter, in the grounds of York Minster on Monday 4 March in order to support York-based homeless charity, SASH.

Trustmarque’s culture is a charitable one and employees often take part in initiatives to support both local and national charities, including York Against Cancer, SANDS, Breast Cancer Awareness and supporting the York Special Baby Care Unit. Initiatives such as these are just one of the many reasons why Trustmarque has been accredited as a 3 star company in the Sunday Times Best 100 Companies to Work For 2013.

The sleep outs will help raise awareness of youth homelessness in the area, as well as raise funds to support SASH’s work. The charity prevents young people from becoming homeless through its Nightstop service, which offers them a room in the home of a volunteer. Last year the charity provided 840 nights of accommodation for young people across York, North Yorkshire and the East Riding. By giving vulnerable young people a bed for a few nights when they really need it means that a time of crisis does not lead to long-term homelessness and unemployment.

Ben Cranham, Head of Corporate Accounts at Trustmarque, said: “At Trustmarque we believe in supporting local charities and the local community as a whole whenever we can. SASH is a great charity and raising money to combat homelessness is something we’re proud to be a part of.”

SASH Director, Peter Robinson, said: “In our region, as elsewhere, youth homelessness is very much a hidden problem. Rather than sleeping on the streets, young people tend to ‘sofa surf’ with friends and relatives until they run out of options and finally seek help.  While the problem may not be obvious to the general public, last year SASH experienced a massive increase in demand for its Nightstop service.

“We’re delighted that the team at Trustmarque are supporting us in highlighting the plight of young homeless people in York, and would like to thank them for getting involved.”

Sleepout events are also taking place in Northallerton (Friday 2 March), Pickering (Saturday 8 March) and Kirbymoorside (Saturday 16 March). For more information about the work of SASH, volunteering or the sleepout events, visit www.sash-uk.org.uk or call 01904 652043.