THE Winsford community came together at the weekend for a 24-hour sleep out in support of the homeless.

Despite the pouring rain, the public response to the event at Winsford Town Park was ‘overwhelming’, as many offered donations and provisions to keep the volunteers going.

The sleep out was organised by Earnest Homeless Outreach, who are based in the town and provide the homeless with sleeping bags, warm clothes and toiletries.

And charity co-ordinators Tony Riding and Julyan Landon, who slept on a park bench under the cover of an umbrella, thanked everyone for supporting them during the event.

“The sleep out could not have gone any better, with people stopping to have a chat with us and bringing donations,” said Tony.

“We had long discussions with those who came down to support us and their generosity really was overwhelming.

“We’ve definitely achieved what we set out to do, which was to raise awareness for what homeless people go through.”

The duo’s aim for the event was to make the point the homeless are not invisible people by holding the sleep out in a prominent public place.

This seemed to have the desired effect, with a steady stream of visitors bringing food and drinks to keep them going as well as duvets, sleeping bags, clothes and toiletries for the homeless.

These came from individuals, couples, whole families and even several children who donated their pocket money to help the homeless.

Tony and Julyan will now distribute the donations through the Earnest Homeless Outreach programme to the homeless people they meet across Cheshire.