A FUNDRAISER which will see people sleeping a night in the Barrow AFC stands has reached more than £3,000. 

Sleep on the Stands is an event set up by homelessness campaign group Forty Winks 4 Furness led by Barrow town councillors Paul Griffiths and Beverley Morgan. 

The group was set up to raise funds in aid of Furness Homeless Support Group, which helps get people back into permanent accommodation. 

Cllr Griffiths has set a £4,000 goal for the event, which will take place on December 9. The GoFundMe page has already had 167 donations. 

The aim of the night will be to gain an insight into how it feels to sleep rough on a cold winter night. A team of volunteers will be on hand, comprised of Furness councillors, the town mayor, Barrow AFC staff, Furness Homeless Support Group staff and members of the public. 

Politicians, including Furness MP Simon Fell and the three local mayors Michelle Scrogham, Nick Perie and Chris Altree, will be involved.

Cllr Griffiths said that there are many reasons people find themselves homeless or rough sleeping, through no fault of their own. 

READ MORE: Cover of 'Streets of London' released by Barrow singer

Reasons can include but are not limited to, the loss of a job, the death of a partner and the breakdown of a relationship. 

He said: "We hope this inaugural event will help boost the amount raised and give the charity a timely boost this Christmas."

Cllr Griffiths' daughter Kelly Griffiths recorded a cover of the Ralph McTell song Streets of London, re-titled to 'Streets of Furness' in order to boost the event. 

The song was originally inspired by the plight of homeless people and in 2017 a new version featuring Annie Lennox was released as a charity single to raise money for Crisis. 

Kelly will perform it at the Barrow AFC stadium.

The registration closing date to participate in the event is November 30. 

LINK to the fundraiser.