This Christmas, nearly 80,000 children will be homeless on the streets. Due to finances, family issues or social problems. Young people deseve a future, but these people can not. So on December 7th, more than 1,500 people around the country took part around the country in the Centerpoint Charity Sleep Out, raising a total of nearly £500,000 for the charity.
The money is put into workers helping homeless people to combat with physical and physiological pains, access education and support others finding a job or a home.
The idea of the event is for people to spend just one night on the streets, replicating what it must be like to sleep for just a single night, rather than a whole lifetime. It gives the people taking part a feel of what it is like to be homeless, but not on the actual scale of the issue.
Hannah Mitchell, Ria Innerarity, Kiera Rumbold, Owen Anderson and Bradley Pitman all took part in the Sleepout 2014 in St Albans.
“It was the coldest night of the winter so far, at minus four!” remembers Y10 Ria.
“I didn’t get to sleep at all but Owen was snoring – I don’t know how. Hannah and Bradley couldn’t even lie down and they stood almost all the night.”
While the group raised over £200 for charity, Ria feels she also gained great insight.
“Now I know how the homeless feel,” she said.
“I’ll never be able to just walk by and ignore them.”
Tanisha Fountain (Year 11) also took part and loved the experience.
"I had so much fun doing the homeless sleepout for charity last night, but the only downside was the cold!"
Hopfully these students can inspire others around the country to combat poverty towards young people.
For more information about Centrepoint and details about next years campout, visit Centerpoint.org.uk