The launch event for YMCA Bournemouth’s Big Sleep Easy 2025 was a resounding success, with over 40 representatives from 30 local businesses coming together to show their support for the charity’s mission to combat homelessness in the community.
Held to kick-start the build-up to this year’s BIG Sleep Easy, the event highlighted the lasting impact YMCA Bournemouth has on individuals facing housing instability. Guests heard powerful testimonials, including that of Mehdi, a former resident whose life was transformed by the charity. Once homeless and battling addiction, Mehdi shared how the YMCA gave him the foundation he needed to rebuild his life:
“To me it was like a palace. Whenever I think of it, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me, so content. I had a place where I was safe. YMCA Bournemouth gave me a sense of family, talked to me, advised me, arranged courses and gave me the space to unravel what happened. It was the best opportunity I ever had,” Mehdi said.
Today, Mehdi is a successful entrepreneur with several businesses in the local area. “YMCA Bournemouth can change your life. It changed mine.”
The 2025 Big Sleep Easy will take place from 6:45pm on Saturday 18 October to 6:30am on Sunday 19 October 2025, at Diverse Abilities, Merritown Lane, Hurn. This year, YMCA are partnering with local charity Diverse Abilities, who identified that in 2024, 20% of the people with disabilities helped by its Advice Team were homeless, that’s 300 people with disabilities in our local community without a permanent and safe place to call home.
The event challenges individuals, teams, and businesses to sleep rough for one night, raising vital funds and awareness for homelessness locally.
Participants will build cardboard shelters, brave the elements, and gain first-hand insight into the harsh realities faced by those without a home. The event also provides a valuable opportunity for team building, community engagement, and informal networking.
Mark Benham, Partner and Head of the Real Estate Group at Lester Aldridge, shared his support:
“For the third year in a row, the number of people sleeping on the streets of England and Wales has increased, with a 20% rise in the last year. YMCA Bournemouth makes a huge difference to our community, and Lester Aldridge is proud to continue sponsoring this event that brings together local businesses to raise money and awareness for those experiencing homelessness.”
Everyone is invited—whether you’re an individual, group, club, or business—to join this unique fundraising initiative. Your involvement helps YMCA Bournemouth continue its vital work, empowering people toward independent living and brighter futures.
For more information or to register, please contact Sheena Dayman at 07824 333505 or sheena.dayman@ymcabournemouth.org.uk.
Notes to editors:
In 2024, an estimated 354,016 people were recognised as homeless in England.
This figure includes over 161,000 children and equates to approximately one in every 160 people being homeless.
In 2023, an estimated 1,342 people were homeless in the BCP area, with 1,270 living in temporary
accommodation and 72 sleeping rough.
In June 2024, there were 146 rough sleepers reported in the BCP area.
In 2024, YMCA Bournemouth housed 211 people.
For more than a century and a half, YMCA Bournemouth has been at the heart of Dorset’s communities—empowering individuals to thrive in mind, body, and spirit. Its mission is simple yet powerful: to enable people to develop their full potential and to foster supportive, inclusive, and energising spaces where everyone can belong, contribute, and grow.
Its Work Today
YMCA Bournemouth are proud to deliver a wide range of services across the community, including:
- Accommodation
- Youth Work
- Family Work
- Health & Wellbeing
- Counselling
- Training & Education
- Support & Advice
Its Impact (April 2023 – March 2024)
YMCA Bournemouth has made a profound difference in people’s lives:
- Supported and housed 184 individuals
- Provided over 54,000 meals
- Delivered 1,250 counselling sessions
- Facilitated 1,541 hours of family contact through our Child Contact Centres
- Supported 277 families with a dedicated Family Support Worker
- Reached 335 children with targeted family support
- Distributed 419 food support bags to families in need
- Provided 590 hours of support to 75 young disabled people via the Chatterbox Project
- Engaged 125+ young people weekly in our youth clubs
- Enabled 5,185+ days of volunteering through our young volunteers
- Served 5,000+ members across our leisure centres
Changing Lives, Together
From offering a safe place for those facing homelessness to equipping young disabled people with vital life skills, YMCA Bournemouth continues to be a catalyst for transformation and hope. Every service we provide is a step toward a stronger, healthier community.
