ROTARY clubs across Worcestershire are calling on the community to work on a project that will help rough sleepers.
The call to support the Sleep Pod Charity follows news earlier this month that the number of deaths on the UK’s roads has increased by a third during the pandemic.
Heart of England Rotary clubs embraced the initiative, which produced more than 5,300 pods despite challenges for its volunteers during the lockdowns.
They are the brainchild of former Rotarian Justin Devereux and friends Ian Ashby and Pete Kenyon, whose work in a refugee camp in Dunkirk in 2015 inspired them to start the Sleep Pod charity three years later.
After a lengthy design and testing process, they began making the groundbreaking shelters and distributing them on the streets through local charities in case of an emergency.
The lightweight, rain- and wind-repellent pods are made of double-walled aluminum foil bubble film, which is similar to the one used for cavity wall insulation, and insulate the body’s own heat. They have been successfully tested at temperatures as low as -16 degrees.
Justin Devereux is among those who can vouch for these results after personally testing the pods, including spending a full day in an industrial size freezer.
Mr Devereux, who also tried it on his streets in Birmingham, said: “It was a really scary experience. I was actually taken on by security once.
“We find it incredibly helpful to take in volunteers with no experience whatsoever and, in just an hour, show them how to build something that can literally make a huge difference to someone’s life.
“This is something that has been incredibly well received, but is as simple as a concept. I don’t think I’ll ever find anything else that will allow me to influence other people’s lives that much. Nobody deserves to sleep on the street. ”
More than 2,500 volunteers, including Rotarians, have funded the charity, became Sleep Pod corporate partners, and participated in build workshops. But when those workshops were forced to adjust during the lockdowns, the hugely successful Build At Home project was born. About half of the total pods made were made this way, with volunteers collecting a pack of materials, following a series of instructions to build them at home, and then putting them back in the same place.
Terri Morgan, speaking for Rotary clubs in Worcestershire, said, “Whether it’s fundraising or volunteering time to build the pods, Rotarians are committed to helping the homeless in our communities. Please contact us if you can be of any help. ”
For more information, please visit http://www.sleeppod.org.uk, email direct to: rotarysleeppod@gmail.com or call 07704713157.