Chelsea FC Backs Sleep Out for Veterans
Club, players and fans supporting fundraising event
Chelsea FC players Enzo Fernández, Kai Havertz, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Thiago Silva are backing the fundraiser
March 4, 2023
The Big Stamford Bridge Sleep Out is taking place later this month to raise funds for a veterans’ charity and it is being backed by Chelsea FC, its players and the supporters’ trust.
The money raised from the event on 25 March will go to Stoll which runs the home for 500 ex-servicemen and women in Fulham Road, next to the stadium.
The aim is to raise awareness of Stoll’s work and help to ensure fewer military veterans sleep rough.
Among those backing the effort is Enzo Hernandez, the World Cup-winning midfielder that Chelsea signed in January.
Despite the chill, this year’s response has been the best-ever. Numbers are limited to 150, with more than 100 already signed up. To join the sleep out you must be over 18, and pledge to raise at least £50 in sponsorship. You’re limited to a sleeping bag, pillow and sheet of cardboard… no blow-up beds or duvets!
“It can get very cold as a wicked wind blows through the east stand,” said organiser Mark Meehan from the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, who will be one of those bedding down. “There’s also a railway line just behind the stand, and a goods train always comes through during the night!”
The Fulham charity, based in the Oswald Stoll mansions, supports veterans after they leave the armed forces, with more than half suffering from mental health conditions, many with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The first sleep out was staged in 2019, when Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood stopped by to wish everyone well. Last year Chelsea fans raised more than £22,000 for the charity, warming up at the end of a chilly night with a hot breakfast at 6am, provided by Chelsea FC.
Stoll’s fundraising coordinator Jill Taylor said, “The money raised from last year’s Big Stamford Bridge Sleep Out was incredible and made a real impact on the support we were able to offer our veterans. We are looking forward to working with the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and everyone taking part in this year’s event.”
Cllr David Morton, H&F’s Representative for the Armed Forces Community, thanked the Big Stamford Bridge Sleep Out organisers and participants saying, “Stoll works hard to improve the lives of our veterans, and I’d like to say a big thank you to those taking part in the sleep out”.
Find out about the work Stoll do.
To join in or support those bedding down beneath the east stand at Stamford Bridge visit the Chelsea Supporters Trust website.
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