Anstruther RNLI ‘Slipway Sleep Out’ for the Royal British Veterans Enterprise
Anstruther RNLI volunteer crew will take part in a slipway sleep out during March as part of the Royal British Veterans Enterprise Great Tommy Sleep Out to help raise awareness and funds for homeless veterans.
During March members of the Anstruther RNLI volunteer crew will take part in a sleep out overnight on the slipway at Anstruther RNLI Lifeboat Station. The aim is to again take part in the Royal British Veterans Enterprise (RBVE) Great Tommy Sleep Out, which is an initiative throughout March to challenge individuals to sleep outside for one night to raise funds for the RBVE and raise funds and awareness for homeless ex-servicemen and women.
The aim of the national campaign is, through participation, to raise awareness and vital funds for veterans facing homelessness, and ensuring that everyone has a fair opportunity to gain employment, regardless of health conditions or disability.
For the Anstruther RNLI volunteer crew this is a charity that strikes a very personal cord, as the Anster crew has volunteers from all three of Britain’s Armed Forces, the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force.
This will be the second year that the Anster crew will take part in the Great Tommy Sleep out, having successfully raised over £1,000 for RBVE in March 2025. Therefore, once again, the Anster volunteer crew will give up the comfort of their own beds and will take part in a slipway sleep out to raise funds for homeless ex-service personnel.
Carl van der Lee, Anstruther RNLI volunteer crew and Royal Air Force veteran, said: 'Myself and my colleagues will be sacrificing our home comforts and spending a night under the stars. However, we aren’t trying to replicate the harsh conditions that some homeless veterans find themselves in.
'As an RNLI crew, we will have the camaraderie and support of close-knit team around us, and the knowledge that we would be safe from harm, which is a world away from the circumstances that some ex-servicemen and women who find themselves: alone and exposed to the elements, without any safe place they can call home.
'If you feel that you would like to help your volunteer crew at Anstruther RNLI raise funds for our homeless ex-service personnel, you can support us by making a donation on our JustGiving page below.
Carl van der Lee is fundraising for Royal British Veterans Enterprise
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Notes to editors
The attached picture shows members of the Anstruther RNLI crew promoting their Slipway Sleep out in March 2026
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