Olympian Sir Chris Hoy joins homeless charity sleepout
Olympian cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy and some of Scotland’s most wealthy and influential people spent a night under the stars to raise money for a new village for the homeless.
Social Bite plans to provide a low-cost, supervised and safe living environment for up to 20 homeless people with 10 purpose-built homes in Granton, Edinburgh, and needs to raise £500,000 for the project.
As part of a fund-raising drive, about 300 of the most influential people in Scotland took to Edinburgh’s Charlotte Square to sleep rough last night night.
Participants began arriving at around 7pm where they stayed until 7am this morning, when they were served breakfast by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Prior to the sleepout, Sir Chris Hoy spoke on stage about his involvement.
“Its simple really, It’s just such a fantastic cause and to see the impact that it is having, it is such a simple to do from my perspective,” he said.
“It’s such a great cause and ambition to create this village and if we can raise enough funds tonight and raise enough awareness we are doing something special.
“It’s great to be on board and it’s not as cold as I thought it was going to be – I was quite warm – a bit sweaty earlier on, but ask me again at 4am and see if I’m still smiling then.”
Picture: Sir Chris Hoy (left), one of the participant in the first Social Bite CEO Sleepout, which saw some of Scotland’s most wealthy and influential people in a sleepout in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, to raise money for a new village for the homeless. (Jane Barlow/PA).
Tags: Chris Hoy, homeless, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland, Sir Chris Hoy, sleepout, Social Bite