Daniel Zeichner MP attended Sleep Easy in support of participants who spent one night sleeping rough to raise awareness of the hardship endured by homeless young people and raise funds for YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough.

Daniel Zeichner got involved in the event in Cambridge as part of the first ever national YMCA Sleep Easy Week which saw YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough join forces with 14 other local YMCAs across the country to raise awareness of youth homelessness.

The week saw supporters sleep out for one night to raise awareness of the hundreds of young people sleeping rough every year in England and raise funds to help YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough continue to support residents and young people through their services.

YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough has hosted Sleep Easy nights since 2016 and has raised a total of £6,500 in that time. Money brought in has helped YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, which works with over 450 young people each year, provide in temporary accommodation and additional support throughout the county.

The night’s activities included entertainment and networking opportunities for the local community. Daniel Zeichner is inviting local people and businesses to join him during the Sleep Easy Week in March. He will be joined at the event by Cllr Jeremy Benstead, Mayor of Cambridge.

Daniel Zeichner said: “We all know that homelessness is a huge concern in Cambridge and many residents give very generously to support people out on the street. The YMCA Sleep Easy Week focuses on helping all those homeless young people who sleep rough. I can only begin to imagine how hard it must be to sleep out every night of the week. I am pleased to add my support to YMCA’s Sleep Easy Week and I hope the campaign will help raise awareness and donations for the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough branch so that they can help as many young people as possible.”

Jonathan Martin, YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Chief Executive, said: “We’re thrilled that Daniel Zeichner MP is supporting the first ever national Sleep Easy Week and we can’t thank him enough for their support. We hope that the local community feels inspired and signs up to take part in our Sleep Easy event: everyone is welcome to join us. With your help we will be able to support young people through our services today and into the future.”