A group of students have raised hundreds of pounds for a local homelessness charity by sleeping rough for a night in Aberdeen.
A total of 16 students from Robert Gordon University (RGU) took part in a charity sleepout on Monday, October 26 and raised £726 for Aberdeen Cyrenians.
Organised by RGU’s Erasmus Student Network (ESN RGU), the event was the first in a line-up of fundraisers which are taking place this week as part of the university’s RAG (raising and giving) Week hosted by RGU: RAG, the fundraising arm of RGU’s Students’ Union.
The students teamed up in groups of two and four and spent 12 hours from 7pm to 7am sleeping rough on sheets of cardboard in the Union Square car park to experience some of the unpleasant realities and discomforts associated with homelessness.
Sarah-Jane Reilly, the ‘SocialErasmus’ Co-ordinator for ESN RGU who is studying for a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at RGU, said: “We were looking to organise our first ‘SocialErasmus’ RGU event while supporting a local worthwhile cause and decided to hold a sleepout in aid of Aberdeen Cyrenians which works hard to help those affected by homelessness in our city.
“The sleepout was a great success. It opened our hearts to the plight of homeless people in our city and raised awareness into the issue of homelessness in Aberdeen.
“We are proud to have raised so much for such a worthwhile cause. We hope that the money we raised will help to support the excellent services, Aberdeen Cyrenians, provides to people in need in our city.”
Aberdeen Cyrenians Fundraising Officer Nicky MacBeath said: “We were absolutely delighted to receive the support of ESN RGU at our sleepout earlier this week.
“The sleepout is a really important event to help raise awareness of just some of the issues faced by homeless people every day like the cold, the lack of sleep, and the lack of basic comforts.
“The students did a fantastic job, and all the money they collected will help support our services across Aberdeen and the north-east.”
SocialErasmus is a European initiative supported by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) which aims to promote positive change through volunteering while providing international students with an opportunity to integrate into the local community.
ESN is the biggest student association in Europe and is present in 480 higher education institutions across 37 countries. ESN RGU is one of 20 ESN sections in the UK.
Last year, ESN RGU won the Society of the Year Award for the best non-academic society at RGU’s Student Achievement Awards. The society has more than 70 student members and organises regular events, activities and trips.
For more information on ESN RGU visit http://rgu.esnuk.org/