Don your pjs to raise funds for Redcliffe Sleepbus

Volunteers from The Breakfast Club will be ditching their everyday clothes in favour of their warm winter pyjamas later this month as part of a fun and comfy fundraiser to help raise money for the Redcliffe Sleepbus.

Michelle Gilchrist and Helen Bambling have signed The Breakfast Club up to take part in PJ-Palooza – a major fundraising initiative hosted by Sleepbus to raise much-needed funds to support safe sleeps for people and their pets who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

As part of the fundraiser, Michelle and Helen have announced they will be hosting a high tea and sleepover on June 29, which you are invited to.

“We want to have a little fun this winter, so we have decided we are going to get behind the PJ-Palooza fundraiser hosted by Sleepbus,” Michelle says.

“As part of this fundraiser, we have got a few things happening at the end of June, but we need your help.

“On Saturday, June 29, we will be having a high tea with a pyjama theme, so you will need to dress up in your pjs to come.”

“Then, Helen and I, as well as a few other intrepid volunteers, are going to have a sleepover.

“You can come and join us, or you can choose to sponsor us.

“The final part of our fundraiser will be a breakfast the following morning.”

The Breakfast Club were able to purchase its own Sleepbus after raising $100,000 thanks to a number of generous donations from the community, including their own contribution as well as funds from The Jelley Family Foundation, Commbank, Kedron Wavel, and the City of Moreton Bay.

Work began on the Redcliffe Sleepbus in March 2023, and while it was hoped the bus would arrive in late 2023, delays during the production process meant the delivery date was pushed back.

Sleepbus Founder Simon Rowe says the PJ-Palooza fundraiser will help ensure the bus is finished and then delivered to the streets of Redcliffe to provide safe sleeps to people who are doing it tough.

“With regards to the Redcliffe Sleepbus, the build is almost complete, then we just need to get through the roadworthy process,” Simon says.

“We have a shortfall in funds to complete the build at the moment… everything is costing more since Covid, and we are really feeling that with a drop in donations ourselves.

“That said, we hope for a successful PJ-Palooza event to bring in the funds we need to get our next three sleepbus builds finished and heading out for service within the next couple of months. Bundaberg, Redcliffe and Ballarat are the next three, in order.”

Above: Michelle Gilchrist and Helen Bambling from The Breakfast Club were delighted to meet Sleepbus Founder Simon Rowe when he stopped by in April 2023 as he made his way from Melbourne to the Fraser Coast to deliver a sleepbus to Hervey Bay.

How you can help

The Breakfast Club’s high tea will be held at the Clontarf Community Hall at 3pm on Saturday, June 29.

Guests are asked to wear their favourite pyjamas with a fascinator, to help make things a little classier.

Tickets are $30 per person.

While the sleepover that night is free to attend, guests are encouraged to ask their friends and family to sponsor them.

Breakfast the following morning will be held from 8-9am at the hall and costs $10 per person.

All funds raised from the high tea, sleepover and breakfast will go  towards the Redcliffe Sleepbus, which will provide safe and temporary accommodation for Moreton Bay community members who are sleeping rough.

If you would like to donate to the Redcliffe Sleepbus, click on the Eventbrite link to purchase tickets to The Breakfast Club’s fundraiser.

Alternatively, you can donate directly via the Sleepbus website.

Sleepbus is an Australian registered charity, and all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

A safe sleep on Sleepbus is free for guests and costs $10 to provide.

Above: What a sleep pod looks like inside a Sleepbus. 

About the Redcliffe Sleepbus

The Redcliffe Sleepbus will feature 18 individual sleep pods and will ensure people who are homeless or sleeping rough will have access to a safe place to spend the night.

Each sleep pod will consist of a bed with a memory foam mattress, clean bedding, ducted heating and cooling, its own toilet, and iPad and USB charging ports.

There are also interchangeable doors allowing parents to sleep with their children, and pets are welcome too.

Sleepers will be kept safe with CCTV surveillance and can store their belongings under the bus.

Anybody who finds themselves without a roof over their head can use the sleepbus service.

There are no criteria to meet, and bookings are not needed – it’s a first come first served basis, so all you need to do is show up.