March 04, 2024 - 339 views
For each £100 he raises, Dave Tattum will sleep in his garden for one night. The singer from Holywell, Flintshire is set to sleep outside for nine nights from 7 March.
More accustomed to performing to a live audience, each evening the former Angel Witch frontman, who with Iron Maiden were the forerunners of the new wave of heavy metal in the 1980s, will sing in his garden with just his dog as his audience, and livestream the performance on Facebook.
Dave is doing this for RBLIs’ The Great Tommy Sleep Out, the charity’s annual flagship fundraising event that raises money for its work with homeless veterans. Each year in March, people across the UK sleep outdoors for one night or more to experience, in a small way, the reality of life for homeless veterans.
The Great Tommy Sleep Out is open to individuals, groups, and companies. As everyone has different abilities, it’s up to the person or people taking part to pick their location, plan their night or nights sleeping outside, and fundraise.
Dave Tattum, who is a second tenor in The Trelawnyd Male Voice Choir, also plays in a rock band, and sings jazz and blues, said, “It’s shocking how many veterans are homeless, and this is my way of doing something to help. People have been very generous, and so far, I’ll sleep outside for eight nights, but as sponsorship is still coming in, it could be more. March will be a busy month as The Trelawnyd Male Voice Choir will sing at the Principality Stadium at the Italy vs Wales rugby game on the 16th, so we’re busy rehearsing.”
If you would like to sponsor Dave Tattum, please go to www.facebook.com/dave.tattum.7
Lisa Farmer, RBLI’s Chief Executive, said, “When you think that an estimated 6,000 veterans are street homeless in the UK right now, the support from people like Dave who take part in The Great Tommy Sleep Out has never been more important.
“The Great Tommy Sleep Out is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by servicemen and women who find themselves without a home when they return to civilian life. This is an important issue, and we are working with the Office for Veterans’ Affairs to reduce veteran homelessness and end rough sleeping.”
If you would like to take part in The Great Tommy Sleep Out, go to www.rbli.co.uk/sleepout to sign up.
RBLI can move veterans who are homeless into Mountbatten Pavilion, its emergency accommodation within 24 hours of referral.
Last year, the demand for RBLI’s services for homeless veterans increased by 45 per cent - and with the cost of living crisis, the charity expects the cost of housing those already supported to more than treble.
Every penny raised by The Great Tommy Sleep Out will go directly to RBLI’s wide range of services providing a home, welfare, and employment support to Armed Forces veterans.
