Milton Keynes manufacturer Cranswick Convenience Foods is hosting UnityMK’s annual Big Sleepout tonight as the homelessness charity marks 15 years of its Winter Night Shelter service.
The overnight fundraising event, taking place at Cranswick’s Steinbeck Crescent site, aims to raise £8,000 for UnityMK’s shelter provision and wider support services for people experiencing homelessness in the city.
The Big Sleepout, which runs from 8pm on Friday to 6am on Saturday, is the fifth consecutive year Cranswick has hosted the event. The business has partnered with UnityMK since 2021 through fundraising activity, staff volunteering and employment support initiatives.
UnityMK said the £8,000 target could fund an entire winter season of meals for guests staying at the charity’s Winter Night Shelter, which operates between November and April and provides 15 beds each night.
According to Shelter, more than 2,700 people are currently homeless in Milton Keynes, while nearly 50 people are estimated to be sleeping rough across the city. The charity said it welcomed around 10 new people experiencing homelessness every week during the past winter period.
Last winter, UnityMK provided 1,890 shelter beds and more than 4,300 hot meals through its night shelter service.
Sam Pearl, site director at Cranswick in Milton Keynes, said the company viewed community support as part of its wider responsibility as a major local employer.
“This is our fifth year hosting the UnityMK Big Sleepout and we’d love to see as many people and organisations as possible take part in what is an incredibly eye-opening experience, while also raising vital funds for this much-needed service,” said Sam.
“We believe, as a business of our size and scale, we have a responsibility to give back to the community. Our ambition is to use our scale to improve living standards in the local community through fundraising and volunteering initiatives, employment and upskilling opportunities.”
UnityMK estimates it has provided almost 26,500 winter shelter beds during the past 14 years for people who would otherwise have been sleeping on the streets.
Ria House, corporate and community fundraising manager at UnityMK, said the event had become an important annual fundraising initiative for the charity.
“The Big Sleepout is about more than just one night. It’s a chance for people to come together, raise vital funds, and gain a small insight into some of the challenges faced by those experiencing rough sleeping in our city,” said Ria.
“We’re extremely grateful to Cranswick for kindly hosting the event again and for their long-standing partnership with UnityMK. Their support over the years has made a real and lasting difference to the people we work with.”
Participants sleeping out overnight will be provided with cardboard bedding, hot drinks, first aid provision and breakfast facilities at the secure Cranswick site.
More information about the event is available through UnityMK.
Image: Cranswick Convenience Foods employees taking part in UnityMK’s Big Sleepout fundraiser in 2025. The annual event raises money for the charity’s Winter Night Shelter service supporting people experiencing homelessness in Milton Keynes.
