At this time of year many of us think about unwrapping presents, festive cheer and the warm spirit in our homes. However, this is not the case for everyone. Every year, hundreds of people find themselves homeless or sleeping rough as they battle the tough society of today. This was brought home to a group of year 8 students at Woodham after they read the book ‘Stone Cold’ by Robert Swindells in their English class. The story tells of a teenager who falls out with his family and ends up on the street.
Due to the effect the book had on the group, the students themselves decided that they wanted to experience life as a homeless person and in turn, raise funds for the ‘Crisis’ charity. Led by their English teacher Mrs Drew, the group came wrapped in sleeping bags and sat on cardboard boxes for a whole day of lessons outside. During the day, the students were served hot soup from the ‘soup kitchen’ but had to battle the cold December weather just as it would be if they were homeless.
Owen Newton, 12, commented “The book changed the way we think about homeless people and we wanted to experience some of what they go through”.
As a result of the students’ efforts, Crisis will be able to provide meals and temporary accommodation over the Christmas period.
