BOURNEMOUTH’S night shelter will celebrate its 10th birthday with the first ever BCHA Big Sleep Out.

St Paul’s, which is based at Bournemouth’s Lansdowne, will be 10 years old on September 7. To mark the occasion, the charity is asking people to make themselves temporarily homeless for a night and sleep under the stars in BCHA’s back garden.

The Big Sleep Out will take place between 10pm on September 7 and 7am the following day. Participants can bring sleeping boxes, ground sheets and cardboard boxes but tents are not allowed.

Registration forms for the event can be downloaded from the charity’s website www.bcha.org.uk.

There is a fee of £10 per person or £30 per family of group of four friends and suggested minimum sponsorship of £50 per person or £150 per group.