Take a look at the Sussex Nightstop and AOH artists’ auction!
Lucianna Whittle – Great White
AOH talks to Liz Wakefield of Sussex Nightstop:
Hi Liz, can you tell us a bit about Sussex Nightstop?
Nightstop was a community response, started in Leeds to address homelessness by opening up volunteer homes to young people in need. It started small, but has now become a national movement, with over 30 Nightstops providing over 9,000 safe nights of accommodation each year.
The Nightstop offer would not be possible without the kindness of its volunteers who (like AOH artists) open up their houses with a welcoming smile, a generous spirit and a good cup of tea! Recruited with care and trained robustly, they give young people in need the opportunity to be themselves in a judgement-free environment. With around half of Sussex Nightstop’s young guests in education or work, they are unreflective of the stereotypical homeless person, personified by Brighton’s very visible rough sleeping population, with numbers second only to London. While Nightstop’s guests recuperate in host homes, a service co-ordinator connects them with local services and supports their journey into safe and suitable accommodation.
Sussex Nightstop celebrates 15 years of service in 2023 to the Brighton & Hove community. A small charity with a big human impact, the service reminds people at the most desperate of times that people care, which builds confidence and belief – important ingredients in a young person’s ability to maintain the good stuff in their life, seize new opportunities and bring about positive change for themselves.
Tell us about the online auction – a collaboration between Artists Open Houses and Sussex Nightstop
As part of our 15th anniversary fundraising campaign and in partnership with AOH we are launching an online SLEEPSAFE auction featuring works from 38 participating artists, which runs from 1-31 May. People can view the artworks in person at open houses and online at Sussex Nightstop & AOH artists’ Art Auction, placing bids throughout the open period. Bidders will be notified if they are outbid – they can then choose to place another bid if they wish.
The auction will provide much needed funds – the more we raise, the greater impact our service can have on young lives.
We’re also running a ‘donate by text’ fundraising campaign called SLEEPSAFE as part of our partnership with AOH. People can give £3, £5 or £10 to support our work.
- To donate £3, text ZZSAFE to 70331
- To donate £5, text ZZSAFE to 70970
- To donate £10, text ZZSAFE to 70191
Have a look at the list of Open House venues for AOH artists taking part on the online auction – where you can view the work for real!
You chose AOH to partner with AOH because you saw several parallels in our organisations. Can you tell us about these?
There are an unusual number of similarities between the Artists Open Houses Festival and Sussex Nightstop. Both with origins in the 1980’s, these two organisations have at their very heart a spirit to do things differently; open up homes and support young people with generosity.
The AOH festival celebrated 40 years last year and artists involved from the start spoke of its uniqueness…welcoming strangers into their home to explore and discuss their art and tell their story. It also allowed them to be themselves, rather than the stereotypical character expected of an artist in a gallery. Both of these aspects chime with Sussex Nightstop. There’s also a spirit of generosity to young people as successful artists are keen to share their passion for art and help students to learn.
As a city, we’re so lucky to have the AOH festival. When it started in Fiveways, it was about breaking down elitism, creating an informal environment for artists to tell their story and sell their work, whilst giving people an opportunity to explore local art. For people, it was a chance to see art in a different context to galleries. This resonates with us too – it’s so pragmatic! The festival’s popularity says it all – from a relatively small affair attracting 600 people over two weeks, it now hosts over 400,000 house visits in 180 locations. People come from our city, from London and everything in between – apparently Richard Attenborough was a fan! We’re really grateful to be partnering with such a successful event, with such a following.
To view and bid for artwork from talented AOH artists that have kindly donated art to the auction, visit the Sussex Nightstop & AOH artists’ Art Auction or to support Sussex Nightstop’s work by text:
- To donate £3, text ZZSAFE to 70331
- To donate £5, text ZZSAFE to 70970
- To donate £10, text ZZSAFE to 70191
Have a look at the list of Open House venues for AOH artists taking part on the online auction – where you can view the work for real!
To find out more about Sussex Nightstop visit https://www.sussexnightstop.org.uk/
And to donate to the charity
