Ex-Fenland soldier joins national charity's 'Sleep Out' to raise cash for homeless veterans
A Fenland army veteran has spent four nights sleeping rough - including in the grounds of a local care home - to raise money for charity.
Nobby Hall, who served over 26 years with the Royal Engineers, swapped his comfy bed to sleep outside as part of a fundraising campaign to raise crucial funds for homeless veterans.
The former warrant officer from Wisbech, who now serves with the army reserves, has been taking part in the Royal British Legion Industries' Great Tommy Sleep Out.
The campaign aimed to encourage people to sleep out for one night during the month of March, but Nobby decided to do six.
He said: "Homeless veterans don't just get to sleep out for one night, they are on the streets every night, so I thought it was only right to sleep out as many nights as possible.
"I've done four so far, and will do tonight and tomorrow and then have a bit of a break, because I don't want the sleepless nights to impact on work. But I plan to do a few more later in the month."
Nobby, who is married to Paula, started the week under the shelter of a fisherman's bivouac, before swapping to a Basha sheet - a makeshift shelter used by soldiers - for a a couple of nights. Last night (Thursday, Nobby went full on homeless with only a cardboard box to shelter him from the elements.
Saturday saw him return to the boxes, and then it was home to a comfy bed on Sunday.
Nobby, who works as head maintenance manager at Hickathrift House in Marshland St James, said: "We had a couple of large deliveries on Thursday, and I don't think I've ever been so excited about a cardboard box before. But it meant I could use them for a makeshift shelter to sleep in. I slept in them in the home's grounds.
"I'm not sure whether residents were aware of what was going on or not. But basically I came home, had a meal, got ready and went back to bed down for the night."
He has already smashed his original target of £250 thanks to the generosity of friends and family sponsoring him so he raised it to £500, and then £750, before setting the current target of £1,000.
"People have been so generous, which is great as this is a cause close to my heart," said Nobby.
He is just one of more than 2,300 people throughout the country who have signed up to the challenge and who have raised £50,000 in the first week of the challenge.
Every penny raised by the campaign will go directly to RBLI’s wide range of services providing a home, welfare and employment support to military veterans.
RBLI, which is a separate charity to the Royal British Legion, provides a home to more than 300 veterans and their families through its Kent village, including homeless veterans through their emergency accommodation Mountbatten Pavilion.
At the heart of the village is the charity’s social enterprise factory, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, which provides employment opportunities to veterans and people with disabilities. Throughout the pandemic, the team in BBMC have been helping to keep the country running producing signs for major infrastructure projects, pallets for the transportation of food and ventilators, and hand sanitisers for the telecoms industry.
The team have also been fulfilling the thousands of challenge fundraising packs which includes a beanie hate and booklet printed professionally in-house.
All veterans living on the village are provided with a tailored welfare support programme to help them regain their independence and overcome challenges caused by physical or mental disability, drug or alcohol dependency, and unemployment.
To support Nobby and the other participants as they take part in RBLI’s Great Tommy Sleep Out visit, Nobby’s Facebook page (Nobby's Fundraiser for Royal British Legion Industries).
