So far, James (Upper 4th/Year 9) has raised around £530. Here, he describes his experience, and explains why supporting this charity is important to him.

On Friday 6th October, I did the Sleep Out, along with over 300 people, in order to raise money for Glass Door Homeless Charity.  Although the temperature remained over 10°C, and the night was dry, nevertheless I was cold, in spite of my thick sleeping bag, ground sheet and warm clothes.  We slept under the stars, without shelter, on the cold concrete of Duke of York Square, Chelsea, and even though I was on my own, there was a great sense of camaraderie, with all the other ‘rough’ sleepers.  There were lavatories and hot drinks, and a warm bacon roll in the morning.  Whilst it gave me a taste of what being homeless is like, what we had on hand must seem like luxuries to real rough sleepers.  The people who sleep rough, often because of mental health issues or circumstances beyond their control, don’t have lavatories and washing facilities on hand; they don’t have a supply of hot drinks and warm food; they sleep out in minus temperatures; some do not even have a sleeping bag; they are isolated and often lonely, unlike those of us, who on Friday night tried to empathise with them, but could still manage a laugh and a chat with the person sleeping out next to us, knowing that the ordeal would be over in a few hours and we could return to a warm home and a clean, soft bed.

Please, please make a donation to this charity:  this is not a third-world country or Dickensian London; people shouldn’t be homeless, cold, hungry, forsaken and shunned. We have so much wealth, especially here in Barnes, so please, let’s spare a little to help those who have nothing.

You can make a donation on my JustGiving page by going to

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/james-hunter29

Thank you!

James