Homeless Scouts for the Night

On Friday 2nd October 2015, Scouts and Explorer Scouts, with support from Leaders from across Northern Norwich, spent the night sleeping in cardboard boxes in the grounds of the 1st Taverham Scout HQ.

The sleepover was arranged to highlight the issue of homelessness and to raise awareness and money for food donations for a homeless charity. The weather for our “Cardboard City” sleepover was relatively good – 8 degrees and dry! Despite this everyone realised just how unpleasant it is to have nowhere to call home or to keep warm at night.

After setting up their Cardboard City the scouts gave talks about a variety of issues surrounding homelessness and its effects on society, before sampled the delights of the “soup kitchen”.

In the morning some of the boxes were damp from the dew but everyone was dry, if a little cold. A hot mug of tea soon warmed them up. At around 8am their parents arrived to collect them. Back to the comfort of their family home – something which is only a distant memory for the people facing another day and night on the streets.

For the scouts the event was a bit of fun and an adventure, but for the 100,000 children in the UK who run away from home each year, sleeping rough certainly is not, as they face the reality of rejection and the loneliness of life on the streets.

Thanks to Mich Andrews of the 27th Norwich Scout Group, the event was sponsored by the East of England Co-op, who donated the supper meaning that we were able to give a little extra to charity.

There are photos from the event over in the gallery – where you will notice that one person took creating a cardboard house a little more seriously than everyone else!

12th October 2015     Explorers, News