AN organisation that supports homeless people hosted a huge event in Taunton this year as it hit a major milestone in 2026.
The annual Big Sleep Out returned this year with a bang as Arc celebrated hitting a 50-year milestone.
This year's Taunton Big Sleep Out took place at Taunton Rugby Club from 6pm on Saturday, June 13 until the following morning.
A family fun day, called 'Arc in the Park', which included live music, and multiple stalls also took place from midday until participants settled down for the night.
This annual event, which has run in Taunton for the past 11 years, challenges people to sleep outside for just one night to 'help change the lives of people facing homelessness locally.'
During the event, members of the Taunton community and other members of the public were encouraged to get sponsored to spend a night giving up their bed, and 'changing lives while they sleep'.
This year's event marked a major milestone for the charity as it celebrated Arc's 50th anniversary - with special guests in attendance, including Gideon Amos MP of Wellington and Taunton, CEO Paul Richards, and Clinton Rogers, acting as Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset.
Arc, originally Taunton Association for the Homeless, has been helping the local homeless community since 1976, supporting thousands find safety, stability, and a place to call home.
This event, is one of many events and campaigns the charity is running in 2026 to keep the charity running.
Both CEO Paul Richards and Gideon Amos MP made speeches at the start of 'Arc in the Park' event, during which Paul said 50 years is an 'incredible amount of time' to be supporting homelessness.
He said: "This is a real challenge in this area. Somerset has got the third worst levels of homelessness per capita in the whole of England. Which for a rural county is a really poor situation, so it is at a really high level.
"The impact of homelessness is truly, truly devastating.
"This is why I am so proud of the work Arc does on a daily basis. We have got 170 bed spaces across Taunton and Bridgwater, and every person that comes to us we provide them with that accommodation, and we also provide them with support that will hopefully enable them to overcome the challenges and move on to a better place."
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Mr Rogers also thanked all the charities, Taunton Town Council, Gideon Amos and the team at Arc for all the work they do.
Mr Amos said during his speech how necessary organisations such as Arc are.
He mentioned one of his constituents in the Taunton and Wellington areas was living with her baby in a hotel and had all her luggage and belongings packed up by hotel staff and put on the pavement.
He said: "That is not the way of a civilised society. I have been involved in housing for a long time and now decided I need to get involved in politics to try and do my bit from that direction.
"My efforts are very small compared to Arc, which offers hundreds of bed spaces, and does a huge amount in our community."
Clinton Rogers, acting as Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset, said at the event: "It's a huge honour [to be here], I have been connected Arc for more than 40 years and I know about the brilliant work they do, but saying that, it is an eye opener to hear the CEO say we have one of the biggest problems of homelessness in the UK.
"It is very sad, but Arc works hard to help prevent that."
Taunton Town Councillor Connor Solle said: "Today Taunton Town Council supporting Arc like we have shows we want to help support initiatives in the community.
"We are here to engage with the people and it is a lovely thing to support."
When asked about the event, Paul Richards, Chief Executive of Arc, said: “Our 50th year is a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come, but also to be honest about how much more there is to do. Everyone has a right to a good, affordable home.
"This anniversary is about celebrating hope, housing and dignity and launching the next chapter of our work to end homelessness in Somerset for good.
He added: "We are trying to put homelessness on the map, as it's a huge challenge for the community, and is especially visible in places like Crown Walk.
"We are all really proud of what we do and our work with partners supporting us; we help around 350 people a year. We've got amazing people, amazing staff, amazing volunteers.
"It's all about coordinating all the services to help prevent homelessness. We are planning to do more, including finding more accommodation and services, and that is great. Today is about celebrating that."
