A team of staff from Kingdom Housing Association are to take part in a charity sleep-out to help the homeless.

Team Kingdom will take part in the Social Bite Sleep in the Park event in Edinburgh in December.

The Kingdom team comprises Erin Duffy, apprentice Painter and decorator, Kerri Gell, team administrator, Korran Shean, administrative officer, Leigh Shearer, service co-ordinator and Sean Whittet, development officer.

They will be sleeping outside on a cold winter night with only a sleeping bag on Saturday 9 December 2017 in Edinburgh along with 9,000 others to raise money for Social Bite. There will be no tents, no pillows/covers or any additional luxuries.

Kingdom Housing Association Ltd has donated £250.00 towards initial registration costs and the team hopes to raise £3,000.

Leigh Shearer said: “I worked in Kingdom Housing’s homeless hostel for over 10 years before moving to the head office. I have seen the reality of homelessness and I am passionate about supporting Social Bite’s sleep in the park. Hopefully, this can raise awareness of homelessness in our society and provide the much-needed support and funding to anyone who find themselves in these unfortunate circumstances.”

Kerri Gell added: “When our chief executive Bill Banks emailed staff asking if anyone would be interested in taking part in Social Bite’s ‘Sleep in the Park’ event on behalf of Kingdom Housing Association, my friend Korran and I were quick to volunteer. We love doing something a little different and the fact we will also be raising money for an incredible charity meant we were only ever going to say yes.

“Along with our other team members, Leigh Shearer, Erin Duffy and Sean Whittet we are now in the process of raising money to meet our minimum target of £3,000. Every penny we raise will be donated to Social Bite who then use it to fund projects such as feeding homeless people, providing support to get homeless people into full time employment, with their overall aim to eradicate homelessness.”

Sean Whittet said: “When the opportunity came up to take part in the ‘Sleep in the Park’ event I thought it was the chance to take on a challenge while contributing to a great cause. It also gives us the opportunity to understand and experience what people go through on a daily and nightly basis, I hope our contributions can in some way help to improve the lives of those who may currently be in a difficult situation and to their ongoing support.

“Being part of a collective fundraising effort adds to the experience and I’m sure as part of Team Kingdom we can all help each other through the challenge.”

Social Bite hopes that by raising funds and working together, Scotland can plan to eradicate homelessness over a 5-year period by providing people with homes, rehabilitation, job opportunities and the support they need to get back on their feet.

A spokesperson said: “We want to make Scotland an example for all to follow. We are a small country. A nation full of innovators.

“Homelessness happens for several reasons, normally out-with the control of the person it affects. This could be due to social issues, mental health issues, financial, family issues or just bad luck. This event is a potential game changer in tackling the issue.”

Kingdom group chief executive, Bill Banks, said: “We are very proud of our volunteers in Team Kingdom. The Social Bite Sleep in the Park is an excellent initiative and we are pleased to support it, I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank our partners who have agreed to support our fund raising through corporate donations, it’s really appreciated.”

Donations can be made online.