Scouts brave the elements with cardboard box sleepout for Sue Ryder hospice in Moggerhanger

Boys and girls – aged 10 to 14 – braved the elements to raise vital funds for the Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Moggerhanger.

Last month, the 38 youngsters from Putnoe Scout Group made up beds outside their usual scout hut. And despite a drop in temperature and the rain, stuck it out in their makeshift beds, with only their boxes to cover them.

Paul Parker, scout leader at Putnoe Scout Group, said: “When the morning arrived, all the scouts had managed to stay in the boxes – even if some of the boxes were now just wet mulch. The scouts were cold and wet, but still they smiled, as they knew they had made a great difference to so many people lives.”

Skye, one of the scouts, added: "Throughout the night, I woke up multiple times, was extremely cold and didn't have much space to move around at all. I couldn't imagine having to go through this every night. It rained a lot and after just one night my box had crumpled and turned into wet mush, It wasn't usable again.”

The scouts raised £2,604.76 for the hospice, which provides compassionate care from its specialist inpatient unit and through its palliative care hub.

The group has now raised an incredible total of £11,045.70 for several charities with their cardboard sleepouts, which began in 2017.

Steven Albon, community fundraising manager at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, said: “Everyone at the hospice is blown away by what this brave and committed group of scouts have done to support Sue Ryder so that we can continue to be there when it matters. As I said to the group just before they embarked on their epic sleepout, by staying out in the cold they will be helping to keep the warmth in the hearts of all our patients and their families. Thank you all, you are an inspiration to others and should all be so proud of yourselves and each other.”

Sue Ryder also runs the Sue Ryder’s Grief Kind Spaces in Moggerhanger and Milton Ernest which provide a supportive place for people to share experiences of grief.