'I woke up with snow on my eyelashes' - volunteers sleep rough to help homeless

05 February 2010

Campaigners stand by their beds before their night under the stars

DEDICATED campaigners swapped their beds for cardboard boxes in a bid to highlight the plight of Havering's homeless youngsters.

Around 22 staff from the YMCA in Romford and eight volunteers ditched their duvets and pillows last week (Friday, January 29) to sleep outside on a concrete tennis court floor on what is historically the coldest night of the year.

The volunteers admitted the most surreal part of their experience was waking up covered in snow at around 5am.

Temperatures fell to -3C, but the group remained in good spirits.

The Romford branch of the YMCA was one of 15 in the UK to take part in the national Sleep Easy event as part of National Homeless Awareness week.

Marketing manager Nikki Sedin, who organised the Romford sleepover, said: "The most humbling thing was the staff turnout. For people to give up their Friday nights like that, they deserve big applause."

The sleepers raised £4,000, which will go towards the Romford YMCA housing pot and help fund a project to take two former homeless YMCA residents on a personal development trip to South Africa, to learn about Aids and youth justice, as well as towards programmes encouraging Havering youngsters to improve their social skills and take part in team-building activities.

Housing manager Ellen Penfold said: "The ultimate aim is to stop the vicious circle of homelessness and unemployment."

The YMCA caters for 147 homeless people, mainly 18 to 25-year-olds - an age which many areas don't have specific support for, and has a waiting list for accommodation.

Ellen said: "A lot of the young people we house have been sleeping rough in cars, sofa-surfing or on the streets.

"There's a problem out there. I just don't think people recognise it's there."

Among the group of outdoor sleepers were Romford YMCA's chief executive Dave Ball, who raised £400; member relations co-ordinator Jackie Turner, who raised £450; Nikki who raised £550 and the IT manager, housing manager, finance manager, and fitness and wellbeing manager, who all made great contributions.

Romford MP Andrew Rosindell stopped by to speak to the group over a flask of coffee to support the event, but was unable to sleep over because of attending other events.

He said: "I greatly admire what they have done. It's a fantastic achievement. Good luck to them."

Roxanne McKie, 21, of St Andrews Avenue, Elm Park, who is a sports coach at the YMCA, raised £150.

She said: "I go to festivals so I'm used to staying outside anyway, but I was freezing.

"Lying there you think how can people be doing this? You do take your bed for granted. When I got home the first thing I did was curl up in bed and think I was so lucky to have one."

Kim Tyler, Roxanne's mum who is a school sports co-ordinator at the YMCA, raised £160 and wore three layers of clothes to keep out the chill.

She said: "The biggest thing for me overall was waking up at 5.15am with a layer of snow on my eyelashes.

"Experiencing homelessness first hand made me realise how nice it is to have a comfy bed. Everyone should be able to have one."

To donate to the Sleep Easy fund, visit www.romfordymca.org and click on the link to www.virginmoneygiving.com.