Sleeping Rough Project with the Salvation Army

 

10 children from Buttercup primary school will be swapping their beds for ‘sleeping rough’ to raise funds for a new scheme aimed at helping the homeless.

The Year 5/ 6 pupils  are bedding down in sleeping bags in the school hall in April for one night to get a taste of what it’s like to be homeless.

The sponsor money raised will go to the Salvation Army Project who  provide homeless young people aged between 16 and 25 with free, safe and secure emergency temporary accommodation.

To make Buttercup’s homeless experience as real as possible, heating in the school is being turned off,  local warehouses are supplying cardboard boxes as bedding and bread and water will be the only food on offer.As well as raising money for a very worthwhile cause, this is a great way for the children to explore issues around how people become homeless – often through no fault of their own  – the children will get an idea about how it feels not to have a comfy bed and home at night , and how this is a reality for many not only nationwide but globally.

Katy Hillary started the ball rolling with an interesting school assembly on Thursday 7th January 2016. This gave the children a head start into understanding the real issues some people in Britain are facing today and that having no home is not just an problem one may encounter internationally but may perhaps be near your doorstep.

The children and staff will plan the weeks ahead for attempting to address some of the issues.