Seaton Delaval councillors raise £1,000 for army veterans doing The Great Tommy Sleep Out

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Councillors took on the Great Tommy Sleep Out to raise money for the Royal British Legion Institute (RBLI).

The sleep out was designed to challenge people to brave the elements and spend a night outside to give them an idea of what many homeless veterans face – while raising money to help them.

Parish councillor Rob Forsyth and his partner, county councillor Eve Chicken, both of Seghill with Seaton Delaval Ward, took on the challenge together after seeing The Great Tommy Sleep Out on Facebook.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They pitched a tent at the war memorial at Seghill Institute and stayed from midday until 8am.

Councillors Rob Forsyth and Eve Chicken took part in The Great Tommy Sleep Out.Councillors Rob Forsyth and Eve Chicken took part in The Great Tommy Sleep Out.
Councillors Rob Forsyth and Eve Chicken took part in The Great Tommy Sleep Out.

Rob, who was in the army for six years before being medically discharged, decided to brave the elements and sleep on a frosty cot bed, while Eve slept in the tent. They started with the goal of raising £100 but raised an unexpected £1,000 in the end, thanks to support from their community.

Rob said: "It was just amazing the amount of support we've got. Absolutely amazing. I think when it comes to veterans and veteran services, it's something that touches people's hearts a bit.”

After settling down in Seaton Delaval following his discharge, Rob has been involved with Armed Forces charities, the Remembrance Sunday service and set up an Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Cub for Seaton Valley in 2023, knowing how important it is for veterans.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He added: “Everyone thinks homelessness is sleeping on the streets and it's not. The beginning stages of homelessness for veterans is sofa surfing because the guys will have a relationship breakdown or their mental health from their PTSD will kick in. Then they lose their home through whatever means so they start using their network but they burn it up at the same time. They’ll sleep on someone's sofa and then when they get told you can't stay here anymore they'll move on to the next person and it gets to the point where they've burnt up their social circle.

“That’s when you can intervene – at the beginning of that rather than at a late stage when they are on the streets.”

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1854
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice