Storm Claudia picked the perfect night to absolutely batter Wolverhampton. Wind howling, rain horizontal, and there we were at the Molineux Sleepout, trying to remember why we’d volunteered for this. Turns out the answer is simple: because homelessness doesn’t stop for bad weather, and neither should we.
The team at Eighty3 joined hundreds of others sleeping rough at Molineux Stadium last night to raise money for The Wolves Foundation and The Good Shepherd. Thanks to our incredible sponsors and supporters, we raised £872 in just two weeks. Not a fortune, but every pound goes directly toward tackling homelessness in Wolverhampton, and that matters. Every donation came with messages of encouragement, shares from people who couldn’t make it but wanted to help, and that quiet Black Country solidarity that shows up when it counts. You lot are genuinely amazing.
Here’s what a charity sleepout actually feels like: cold, obviously. Uncomfortable, definitely. But also strangely grounding. Spending one night outside in a storm gives you about five minutes of perspective on what rough sleeping actually means for the people doing it every single night, through every storm, with nowhere to go when the sun comes up. We got soaked through, we’re absolutely knackered today, but we went home this morning. Not everyone gets that option. That’s why events like the Molineux Sleepout matter. They’re not just fundraisers. They’re reminders.
The atmosphere last night was something special, storm and all. Seeing so many people from across Wolverhampton and the wider Black Country community turn up and stick it out together, that’s what this region does best. We show up for each other when it matters, whatever the weather literally throws at us. Massive respect to everyone else who braved Storm Claudia with us. We were all in it together, and that kind of collective stubbornness is peak Wolverhampton.
Thank you to everyone who donated, shared our fundraising page, or sent encouraging messages. Thank you to our sponsors who made this possible. And thank you to The Wolves Foundation for organising an event that actually makes a difference to people who need it most. We’re proud to have been part of it, proud to stand alongside our community, and very much looking forward to drying out properly. Your support has made a real difference.
