Big Bath Sleep Out

This year, my Dad and I are taking part in the Big Bath Sleep Out in support of Julian House, to raise money for people struggling with homelessness.

The homelessness crisis is something that affects everyone; men, women, young people, not to mention their animals, the council, businesses and the general public. Every day in Bath city center, I see people sleeping rough under thin sleeping bags in the doorways of old shops. Days later, they have been moved on, belongings removed, to wherever it is they can find somewhere barely warm to sleep. These are people who have been sleeping rough for years, people I know; none of whom deserve to be out in the cold.

Julian House is an incredible charity that works with people who suffer the effects of homelessness, who also invite us to take part in major events to raise money to fund their hard work and rehabilitate people into safe housing.

Not only do people have to struggle through the physical discomfort of rough sleeping, but also the stigma of society looking down on them and disassociating with them. There is a big 'us and them' mentality, which I learnt a lot about when I was telephone fundraising for Crisis through my old job - an incredible charity that teaches a lot about the homelessness issue and that it will 'never be acceptable'. I had many a call where the judgement was clear; people wanting only to donate for a meal at Christmas and thinking that was enough; people assuming that when street sleepers were offered hotel accommodation through the winter months, that the 'rooms were trashed' and that they 'only slept rough as a result of their drug abuse'.

Last year, my Mum and I took part in the Big Bath Sleep Out which gave us just a taste of what it's like to sleep rough. It was cold, noisy, uncomfortable and damp, to say the least. That being said, it was nothing close to what people have to suffer through daily, but was enough to get me thinking about just how harsh that reality is.

The work that charities like Julian House achieve is inspiring, not only helping to rehouse members of the public, but also eliminate stigma around rough sleeping. I'm not saying that one night sleeping outside is enough to fix the problem, but if it gets you thinking about just how hard it would be to live like that, it's a start.

Julian House asks that anyone taking part in the Big Sleep Out, whether outdoors or on your kitchen floor, aims to raise £150 each to donate to the cause. As their website suggests, the money raised can go towards warm meals, safe accommodation and abuse support and rehabilitation. It is an eye opening experience, a tough one, but can also be fun and exciting, so I would encourage you all to take part.

For those of you who can't take part directly, please donate to my page here. My Dad and I would be so grateful, not to mention all the people that will receive help from your donations.

Thanks for taking the time to read, think and support <3