SLM Toyota Service Advisor raises £4,500 for homeless veterans' charity

Sleeping out on the beach in April doesn’t sounds much fun, but when it’s to raise awareness and much needed funding for charity, it’s well worth baring the cold and wind!

• SLM Toyota are super proud of our people, not just with what they do for our business in work, but what they do for their communities outside of work. Today is no exception, as our Service Advisor Tillie Earley has raised a whopping £4,500 for the RBLI, a charity that supports homeless veterans.  

  
  Tillie, who is also an Adult Instructor for Sussex Army Cadet Force, recently undertook a gruelling ‘Big Sleep Out’ on Hastings beach, armed with only a sleeping bag, to experience what it is to be a homeless ex-serviceman.  

  
  Tillie set the scene, saying “Recently, I've become an Adult Instructor for Sussex Army Cadet Force. On the 27th of March me, and about 45 other Adult Volunteers and Cadets across Sussex took part in the 'Big Sleep Out' to raise money for the Royal British Legion Industries.”  

  
  She also offered some insight into the wonderful charity she was raising money for: “The RBLI is a charity which helps and supports homeless veterans and there is estimated to be about 6,000 homeless ex-servicemen and women in the UK.” 

  
  Understandably, the experience was a true eye opener for Tillie, and brought home the real struggles that homeless ex-servicepeople go through everyday. She said “So, me and a couple of others chose to sleep on Hastings beach with nothing other than 2 sleeping bags!! It was so windy all night and I didn't sleep much, however it was worth it to experience what the homeless veterans experience on a day-to-day basis. The highlight for me was watching the sunrise over the beach, as that isn't something I see often!” 

• Here’s the wonderful sunrise that Tillie and the team got to see:

• The incredible experience certainly paid off, with the company raising over £4,500 for the RBLI, which was an excellent result, as Tillie has set an original target of only £700.  

  
  From all the team at SLM Toyota, we’d like to say well done to Tillie and her team at the Sussex Army Cadet Force.