Garlic bread, garlic…..bread. Sleep out? Sleep….. out.
Wow let me tell you there was very little sleeping at all. I personally slept for 1 hour and 50 minutes (my fit bit recorded this) and Councillor Dean (sat facing me) was awake all night. So, 20 of us took part in the Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme charity sleep out. It was all to raise money and awareness about homelessness. Now we planned for this, we had a risk assessment, a security guard awake all night, first aid box and Carrs pasties. All life’s essentials. So already it’s not real rough sleeping is it? We had sleeping bags (some rough sleepers have something to sleep in/on) we slept on cardboard on concrete.
We each lay in our “pitch” from midnight, in silence and some slept and others didn’t. It was impossible to feel comfortable, the cold for me personally was worse than last year. My feet went numb. My nose was literally dripping like a tap. But it didn’t rain!! I was so relieved since we had no shelter. I felt “punch drunk” all the next day it was very disorientating.
Earlier in the evening we had done a half hour keep fit session with a lovely lady called Bette from Westhoughton who came to motivate us and warm us up. It was fun and we were warm. We had a quiz later run for us by a volunteer called Vicky, it was fun and helped pass the night. But it became too cold to hold the pens, and we had to use torches as we were in the pitch dark.
So whilst we experienced some hardships it was a false setting really. And we knew that. Collectively we raised £6,750 which is the single most largest amount raised at any event in BYPHS 25 year history. So, we were very proud of that achievement. 3 of the 20 sleepers are current BYPHS residents, still living in our temporary accommodation so have lived and breathed homelessness, but still wanted to help us. 2 of the sleepers were fundraising for another charity and raised several hundred pounds for Endeavour domestic abuse charity, another great outcome.
The following morning we were all subdued and talked about the experience. We were acknowledging that for people really trapped in the homeless loop the differences between our one night on concrete and their life is immense.
We knew were going home after 1 night.
We brought luxuries with us such as chocolates, phones, gloves etc.
We all had access to food and toilets.
We were safe, we knew that we could never copy or even feel a fraction of the fear and anxiety people on the street feels. Where will I sleep, am I alone, where will I leave my belongings (if I have any) am I going to be abused/assaulted/arrested?
We were together, despite the discomfort we had a laugh and fooled around doing the conga to keep warm…… we chatted and made friends since we didn’t all know each other before.
We then talked about the other issues that could make this even worse like being ill and not having access to healthcare or even basic human needs. What about being on a period, being pregnant, not being able to talk English, having a disability, not having a sleeping bag or coat?
My colleagues had asked me if I was taking my dog on the sleep out? My instant response was no way, it’s too cold for him. I thought about that, I wasn’t prepared to let my dog sleep outside. He’s my baby. But our kids are out there, frightened and alone. We knew it wasn’t real but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it and it does take away the fact that we did something. As the organiser you simply cannot ask people to volunteer and get sponsorship and ask them to sleep in a situation that makes them unsafe, that causes risks and could harm them in any way. So it has been argued we don’t really know what it’s like to sleep rough and in the main we don’t. That was never our claim. But three of the group have lived experience. None of us are experts; that’s not what this was about, nor was it to be a martyr to the cause. It’s just one way of raising and awareness and money.
But I need to acknowledge people gave up their time, physical and home comforts and money to do this. We were also supported by a number of other people to make the night that bit easier for us.
Sleepers.
1. Maura Jackson
2. Paul Pritchard
3. Joanne Vickers
4. Carole Marsden
5. Ben Marsden
6. Chenice Gilbert
7. Yvonne Seal
8. Yvonne Warwick
9. Sushma Solanki
10. Kevin Morris
11. Georgina Walls
12. Jayne Hart
13. Melissa Hart
14. Lisa Forshaw
15. Dorran Noel
16. Mudasir Dean (Cllr)
17. Ava Tinsley
18. Amy Graham
19. Alicia Flanagan
20. Jennifer Hunt
21. Emma Louise Pollitt
I also need to say big thank yous to everyone who helped us make it successful.
• Bolton at Home for allowing us to use their venue, access toilets and make sure we were safe.
• Carrs Pasties for delivering our supper.
• Bette Hardy for giving up her time for free and doing a keep fit class to keep us warm.
• Victoria Smith for compiling a dead hard quiz and being the quiz master to help our night pass.
• Colleagues and friends for visiting and coming to support us on the evening.
• Sushmas Snacks for the Indian treats.
• Buttyleecious for the scrummy breakfasts.
• Bolton News for their ongoing support and coverage of our event.
• Bolton Lads and Girls Club for the loan of floor mats.
• Incontinence Supplies for our cardboard for the floor – now recycled.
• Everyone who sponsored us!!!
We all knew we were going home and that 12 hours outside whilst uncomfortable but it wasn’t real hardship. I sat there at 3 in the morning feeling grateful for that. 4 days later my back is still hurting – I dread to think what it’s like for real. Research shows it takes only 3 weeks for someone to adjust to the “pavement culture”. They stop making eye contact, develop survival skills about where and when to sleep, avoiding any public who may abuse, judge or exploit them, adapt to life without regular meals, access to bathing or laundry.
BOLTON YOUNG PERSONS HOUSING SCHEME intervenes in the downward cycle of homelessness while people are still young and before that culture becomes acceptable, or even normal. If 20 people have more insight this week that they did last week and they all tell one other person then we have achieved something. Young people, ALL people, should not have to sleep outside on the streets in the UK in this day and age; it’s a shocking symptom of our society and something many of us wouldn’t even tolerate for our dogs.