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"Tonight's Sleep Out is the most important day in our calendar"

Around 130 islanders will be swapping their mattresses for the concrete floor of Pier Road car park in a bid to raise £50,000 for Sanctuary Trust.

Each year, the charity aims to raise money and awareness for Jersey's homelessness problem through the Sleep Out.

Sanctuary Trust provides accommodation for up to 30 residents at any one time across its three houses.

Since it was set up in 2011 to provide emergency shelter, it has supported almost 400 men who have been at a crisis point in their lives.

£50,000 will be able to pay the wages of a member of staff for a year.

Charity Chair, Tim Ringsdore, says that, like everything, all of the charity's costs have gone up.

"80% of our costs go to supporting our staff, and without our staff, we can't provide that level of care that is so needed.

"Our costs are about £800,000 a year, so as you can imagine, raising this level of funds is a major contribution but we've still got a huge target to achieve."

The charity says the event does not try to replicate homelessness, but demonstrates support and brings the community together for a night of solidarity.

Tim says it's not just about one night; you have 24 hours where you have nowhere to sleep.

"You might be sofa surfing, you might be sleeping in your car, you might be sleeping in a car park.

"When you understand that you can't just go home in a nice, warm environment, get a shower and a hot meal, you suddenly realise, 'If I were in that situation, it would just be awful'."

Participants in the sleepout will arrive at the car park from 8:00 pm to set up their sleeping areas.

The charity has organised hot soup and bread for islanders to eat, along with some live music.

People are advised to bring materials such as cardboard to sleep on, a sleeping bag with warm clothes and socks, an eye mask to block out the car park's lights and a reusable water bottle.

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