Way back in December 2019, when doing something remote from the office was a novelty and not a lock-down necessity, Ian Anderson, Iceni's CEO, decided to sleep out on the street in front of his house to bring attention to the plight of London’s homeless (Ian's Blog). As he remarked at the time, it wasn’t the cold or the sense of vulnerability that really hit him, but the complete boredom.

Fast forward to the present, and we have all endured something of a life-changing experience over the past 12 or so months. Aside from those that have faced the brutality of what is first and foremost a health crisis, the majority of us have been in the relatively fortunate position of being able to moan about being confined to our homes; a far cry from those that went into Covid without a roof over their heads, or those that have found themselves destitute as a consequence of the pandemic.

On 11 March, and in parallel with LandAid SleepOut 2021, a team from Iceni Projects will be sleeping out – remotely of course – from the (un)comfort of our own stairwells, bathroom floors, front and back gardens, and any other space that is the antithesis of a safe and comfortable sleep chamber. Clearly this in no way replicates sleeping rough but is a small insight into the harsh realities faced by a growing number of people.

By its very definition, sleeping out on the street really should be a last resort, and one that in a civilised, and hopefully still progressive, society no one should have to entertain by choice. And the fact that we have the luxury of picking when to hold this event is absolutely not lost on us.

If you would be willing to make a small donation to local charitable organisations and initiatives across the country aiming to end homelessness and support young people and their communities, we would be extremely grateful.

Thank you.