A NIGHT under the stands at Boundary Park offered a stark reminder of a reality many face every day.
Oldham Credit Union’s CEO, Lyndsey Gilkes, and her son Oliver joined dozens of others taking part in the Oldham Athletic Community Trust Sleep Out recently.
It’s an event aimed at raising awareness and funds for people experiencing homelessness and hardship across the borough.
For participants, the challenge meant spending one night outdoors at the home of Oldham Athletic A.F.C. But organisers were clear about the limits of the experience.
While the sleep-out brings people closer to understanding the issue, it cannot fully replicate what it means to live without a safe, secure place to stay.
Instead, the focus is on perspective – encouraging those taking part, and those supporting from afar, to reflect on the realities faced by some of the most vulnerable in the community.
Money raised through the initiative will go towards local organisations tackling homelessness, food poverty and financial hardship in Oldham.
Speaking after the event, Lyndsey said: “The Credit Union is all about helping people from Oldham who might otherwise not have somewhere to go and this is absolutely part of our ethos.”
The sleep-out is one of several initiatives led by Oldham Athletic Community Trust aimed at using the club’s reach to support the wider community – not just through fundraising, but by prompting difficult conversations about inequality and access to basic needs.