Hospital staff to sleep out in aid of veterans

Andy Giddings
BBC News, West Midlands
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust Two women are standing in a corridor in front of red double doors and each is holding black and white flyers advertising "The Great Tommy Sleep Out". One of the women has short blond hair and is wearing a turquoise medical top and the other has brown hair and is wearing a dark blue medical top.Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust
Emma Colley and Sarah Millington said they wanted to support homeless veterans

More than a dozen hospital staff are to take part in a sleep-out in aid of homeless military veterans.

Led by Emma Colley and Sarah Millington from the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, they plan to spend the night on Wrekin, a hill near the town in Shropshire, next month to raise money for the Royal British Legion Industries.

Ms Millington said: "It will be cold and probably wet, but it's nothing compared to what some veterans are facing day in, day out."

Their effort will be part of the national Great Tommy Sleep Out, which involved more than 7,000 people last year and raised £1.2m.

Ms Colley and Ms Millington both work in Telford's emergency department, and they will be joined by 15 other doctors, nurses, health care assistants, and non-clinical staff, plus four children, on 29 March.

Ms Millington said she wanted to show support because there were veterans among "our patients, patient family members and colleagues".

Ms Colley added: "I was heartbroken to hear recently of a young woman who is ex-military and living in her car, with no fixed address.

"Our veterans should not be living like this."

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.