Pure takes on Sleep Out London
A group from Pure HQ and some of our stores recently took part in Sleep Out London with Centrepoint, to help fundraise for young homeless people. This is what one of our Founders, Spencer, had to say of his experience…
A few weeks ago, some of the team from Pure spent a night sleeping out to experience what it was like to be homeless. Being honest, it was nowhere near the actual experience. We had a warm meal (kindly prepared and served by the army), we were hanging out with friends and ended the evening singing karaoke in a tent. Not exactly the experience of a normal homeless person.
But the Sleep Out had an impact on me which I did not expect. It shone a light on an issue which anyone working in central London sees every day. People begging for money, selling The Big Issue or sleeping rough is something many of us see most days. It is not on every corner, but it is in our lives each day. And the Sleep Out changed my mind about these people and got me thinking about two things…
Firstly, being homeless must be really, really scary. There were eight of us sleeping out together. We left our bags and sleeping bags in a big tent whilst we went off to have a drink. We went to sleep safe in the knowledge that our belongings would be there in the morning and we would not be beaten up (or much worse) whilst we tried to sleep for a few hours. Sleeping rough must be very tough physically. But this is absolutely nothing compared to the emotional turmoil every person that sleeps rough must go through every single night. The fear must be overwhelming.
Secondly, there must feel no way out. There are thousands of jobs available in London. Pure has at least a dozen available right now. I used to think, just get a job! But after one night outside (which included karaoke!), I had to take a half-day off work. This was after ONE night. And I knew I was going home to a warm house and comfortable bed. I cannot even begin to imagine what sleeping rough night after night does to your state of mind.
And this is why Centrepoint is so important. It gives young people the chance to help themselves. This is not about handouts. It is about giving young, homeless people the chance to get into housing, education and work. So if you want to make a donation to Centrepoint this Christmas, please follow the link below and know that your contribution will be making a difference.