A retired army colonel from South Wiltshire is going the extra mile to raise funds for homeless charity ALABARÉ, by cycling from St Paul’s Cathedral in London to Churchfields in Salisbury on Armed Forces Day (Saturday 27 June).
The 140-kilometre bike ride is taking place following a fundraising event taking place in the gardens of St Paul’s in aid of ALABARÉ – a leading homeless charity that supports veterans.
Richard Winstanley OBE has raised more than £8,000 so far towards the charity’s mission to break the cycle of veterans’ homelessness.
The BIG Sleep is the first-ever public sleepout to be held at St Paul’s Cathedral, with 200 members of the public taking part to raise £200,000.
The event takes place on Friday, 26 June, on the eve of Armed Forces Day 2026.
The reality of veterans’ homelessness
There are currently around 6,000 former military personnel at risk of homelessness, according to Government statistics, which equates to around one in every 400 people who’ve served.
ALABARÉ has 16 Homes for Veterans in the South West of England and throughout Wales, providing 90 bedspaces.
Since opening their first home for former military personnel in 2009, ALABARÉ has helped more than 2,000 veterans with supported living accommodation, as well as helping them with their mental and physical health, finding employment and a path to living independently.
Upping the ante for the BIG Sleep at St Paul’s
Richard Winstanley has been an ALABARÉ trustee since 2023 and has taken on several BIG Sleep events during that time.
He has decided to encourage people to support him by making the challenge harder by riding his road bike back to South Wiltshire after he wakes up.
Richard says he feels a little nervous about the cycle, but is determined:
“I just thought the sleep-out itself was probably not tough enough! There’s a certain connectivity in cycling from St Paul’s back here to Riverside House in Salisbury.
“It’s 140 km, and I’ve got a good friend coming with me who’s not doing the BIG Sleep to help keep me awake. But it’s just to raise a bit more awareness, and hopefully more funds.”
Participants at the BIG Sleep at St Paul’s will have the opportunity to take part in a special evensong at the Cathedral, followed by a concert under the famous dome, with live music from the Salisbury Plain Military Wives Choir and the British Imperial Military Band.
The evening will also include testimonies from veterans supported by ALABARÉ and a welcome from the Dean of St Paul’s, the Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett.
Richard Winstanley says the location will make it a fantastic event, in aid of such an important issue:
“St Paul’s Cathedral is iconic. If you ask somebody where St Paul’s is, they will know. We’re extremely fortunate to have the Dean allowing us to use it and the garden for this extraordinary sleep out, the night before Armed Forces Day.
“It’s a great shame that we have anybody who is homeless, for whatever circumstance, particularly veterans who have served our country. Nobody wants or chooses to be homeless, and yet they’ve fallen on hard times, and this is our chance to help them, to raise some money and awareness, and to improve their lot.”
You can support Richard’s efforts to raise money for ALABARÉ through his dedicated fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/richard-winstanley-2
The charity needs to raise at least £1.7 million a year to continue supporting people at risk of homelessness.
There are just under 100 places left with the final sign-ups available at https://alabare.co.uk/events/the-big-sleep-st-pauls-cathedral/
