Operation Blue Light Blanket Supporting homeless communities
CPDme, the UK-based Continuing Professional Development platform for health and social care professionals, has today announced the launch of Operation Blue Light Blanket. A new, paramedic-led initiative providing keep warm kits and sleeping bags to people experiencing homelessness across the UK.
Addressing a growing need starts Here
The campaign aims to put warm sleeping bags and essential cold weather items directly into the hands of those most at risk, via blue light services and frontline support teams including paramedics, police, fire and rescue, responding agencies and outreach workers who encounter people sleeping rough every day.
The initiative began with CPDme Founder and Paramedic Andrew Ormerod personally funding 100 sleeping bags for homeless communities across Burnley, Blackburn and Lancashire. This act of support has now grown into a wider national campaign under the banner "Operation Blue Light Blanket".
Supporting an immediate response with a positive action
With rising homelessness and increasingly cold winters, frontline teams are frequently meeting people with nowhere safe or warm to sleep. While emergency services do what they can, they are often limited in the material help they can offer in the moment.
Operation Blue Light Blanket is designed to bridge that gap by distributing kits through blue light services and responding support agencies.
Quality Tog Branded Sleeping Bags and Keep Warm Kit
Supplying high-quality sleeping bags and keep-warm kits immediately when they're needed the most.
Immediate Availability from Participating Responders
Providing an immediate, practical response when someone is found sleeping rough, cold or homeless.
Inclusion and an Immediate Solution to Support Agencies
Reaching individuals who may not access shelters, hostels or traditional services due to a variety of reasons.
Statement from Founder and Paramedic
Andrew Ormerod
“As a Front Line Paramedic, I’ve knelt on cold pavements beside people who have absolutely nothing, ragged old coats, no blanket, nowhere to go and a cardboard bed. You finish the 999 call, you document it, you make the referral, and you drive away knowing they’re still out there in the freezing cold. I’m not afraid to confess I have given a hot lunch and a few hospital blankets to these people before on the streets. It's the least I can offer them before I go back to my warm home.
Operation Blue Light Blanket is my way of changing, and this initiative is about dignity as much as it is about warmth. If we can equip paramedics, police officers, fire crews and outreach workers with something as simple as a warm sleeping bag to immediately give to them, then at that moment we’re not just treating a call, we’re treating a human being with compassion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Heres are some of the most common questions we are currently being asked.
How do I get access to Sleeping Bags for my responders
If you are a blue light responder, outreach worker, or part of a frontline support team and wish to collect sleeping bags for distribution, please contact Andrew and the CPDme Team via team@cpdme.com or call the CPDme Office on 01254 943159.
At present, collection is available from our Whalley Office only. However, as Operation Blue Light Blanket grows, we are actively working to establish a wider network of partner agencies to support distribution across the UK. We hope to have additional pick-up points in place over the coming weeks to make access easier for responder teams nationwide.
I'm keen to support this cause. What can I do?
We welcome support from responders and organisations who want to help extend the reach of Operation Blue Light Blanket. One of the most impactful ways you can get involved is by championing local distribution within your own team or organisation.
If you can help secure permission for your service, department or responder group to hand out sleeping bags during frontline contact, we would love to work with you.
We are also looking for volunteers to help us create a simple signposting card that can be given alongside each sleeping bag.
This card will list local support services, shelters, outreach teams and emergency contacts, ensuring that every person receiving a sleeping bag also receives clear guidance on where to find ongoing help.
If you’d like to be part of this growing initiative, please reach out. Your involvement can make a real, immediate difference to someone sleeping rough in the cold.
Can I make a donation?
if you would like to support Operation Blue Light Blanket, we can help you purchase sleeping bags or keep-warm kits that will be distributed directly to people sleeping rough.
Click this link to donate via our GoFundMe Account
Every contribution makes an immediate difference, and we will ensure your support is recognised on our website and on the kits that go out to frontline teams.
If you are a business or organisation wishing to sponsor sleeping bags, starting from just £15 per bag, please contact us at team@cpdme.com or call 01254 943159 and a member of the CPDme team will be happy to assist.
I'm a responding agency, can we get some sleeping bags?
Absolutely! We would be delighted to support your team. Simply contact the CPDme office to arrange a collection time, and you can pick up a supply of sleeping bags directly from our Whalley base.
Even if your organisation can only take a small batch of five bags, we are extremely grateful for your help in getting these to the people who need them most.
Can I volunteers to help?
We would love to hear from anyone who wants to support Operation Blue Light Blanket as we build momentum. In these early stages, volunteers can make a huge difference, and we welcome support from people who are interested in helping with:
Distributing sleeping bags to frontline teams or local outreach groups
Logistics and coordination, including organising collections and drop-offs
Ordering and stock management to keep supplies moving
Sponsorship and fundraising outreach
Basic accounts and admin support
Running our TikTok and Instagram channels to help raise awareness
If you have skills in any of these areas, or simply enthusiasm to help, please get in touch. Every volunteer plays an important part in keeping people warm this winter.
How has CPDme Funded these Bags
The first wave of sleeping bags has been funded directly by CPDme. Andrew and the team committed to donating all profits from Novembers Black Friday and Cyber Monday to support people experiencing homelessness across Burnley, Blackburn and the wider Lancashire region.
This was done in partnership with the Inspire team, who work tirelessly to help homeless individuals and rough sleepers throughout the area.
Local Help and Support for Homeless People
We are incredibly grateful for the support already shown by responders, organisations and members of the public. What began as a local effort is already gaining momentum, and we truly believe this initiative has the potential to grow nationwide.
A special thank-you goes to GO Outdoors Blackburn for their kindness, support and assistance with logistics. Their help has been invaluable in getting sleeping bags to us quickly and ensuring they reach the frontline teams who need them most.
Although Operation Blue Light Blanket will naturally be seasonal, the impact it can have is significant, and we need your help to keep that momentum going. By working together to share this initiative, distribute bags locally, and signpost individuals to the services available in their area, we can help people not only survive the cold, but also find the support they urgently need.
Your involvement, no matter how small, helps build a safer and more compassionate community.
We recognise that there are many CPD portfolio builders available online, but we guarantee CPDme provides the most efficient and easiest way of recording your CPD or your money back!
CPDme Ⓡ and CPDteams Ⓡ Development for Life 2009 - 2026 are separate trading divisions and currently operated by
The Continuing Professional Development Group Ltd are UK Registered. Company Number 14925023