On a chilly, wet October night Circulate’s Co-Founders and the creators of The Daley Hustle Danny & Matt Daley joined almost a hundred CEO’s at the Emirates Old Trafford Lancashire County Cricket Club for a night under the stars that they will never forget.
Monday October 24th 2022 marked the CEO Sleepout initiative in which 50 business leaders, business owners, c-suite execs and company directors came together to spend a night sleeping outside with nothing but a sleeping bag and a few minimal supplies so they could get a feel of what it’s like to be homeless, to raise awareness and to fight homelessness with an aim to raise or donate at least £1000 each for the cause.
This year Circulate’s client Walking With The Wounded had teamed up with CEO Sleepout to try and combat homelessness amongst individuals and veterans in the UK by supporting CEO Sleepout events across the country, raising vital funds to support those who have served and have fallen on hard times. CEO Sleepout has donated over £45,000 to WWTW as a result of previous successful UK sleepouts, in order to support homeless veterans with their mental, addiction recovery and accommodation.
Circulate’s CEO Danny Daley found the experience to be a humbling one, as he had bought thousands of pounds worth of filming equipment with him in order to document the experience for The Daley Hustle to raise further awareness. Danny put himself in the shoes of someone sleeping rough in Manchester with their precious belongings on their person, hoping they will be safe and their things will not get stolen while they sleep.
Danny reflected on the experience:
“I kept thinking about the equipment I had with me, scared that it could get stolen. I ended up not sleeping much at all and thinking about how terrible it must be for homeless people to have this very real, scary threat to their own safety and the safety of their possessions every single night. Really sad to think about.”
Luckily, Danny woke up with his belongings safely by his side but unfortunately many people who have no choice but to sleep on the streets every night aren’t so lucky and this is what Danny wants people to understand. We should all take the time to empathise with people who are sleeping rough and try to help in any way we can, especially during the cold winter months.
Circulate’s co-founder and CMO Matt Daley, who is a huge advocate for mental health, found the experience deeply unsettling and his heart went out to all those who have no homes to go back to every night.
“It’s left me with huge amounts of gratitude for everything I have in my life. My health, the business, the people around me, the list goes on and on. I have certainly gained a new perspective to homelessness and want to do my bit to help.” Says Matt about the experience.
With the rising cost of living and soaring energy bills, more and more people are facing the sad reality of sleeping rough this coming winter. If you have warm clothes or food you could donate to a local food bank or charity or even help someone directly by offering to give them food or supplies, we encourage you to do your bit. Let’s all be a little kinder in the run up to Christmas this year and not pass by those in need.
So far more than 5000 CEOs and executives have raised over £3,000,000, donating to over 100 charities, changing countless lives. To find out more about CEO Sleepout and how you or the executive from your organisation could take part in the next one, visit their website ceosleepoutuk.com.
