Over a dozen youngsters slept rough last weekend to raise awareness of homelessness in Wales and collect money for charity.
At midday on Saturday, December 11, Radnor District Explorer Scouts braved the elements to take on their ‘24-Hour Homeless Challenge’ in Presteigne.
Armed with just a sleeping bag and £2, the Explorers, aged 13-17, spent 24 hours outdoors to highlight the issues facing homeless people across the region. The challenge was also to raise funds to purchase much-needed equipment and supplies for charity Helping our Homeless Wales.
Ade Bunton, district explorer Scout commissioner, said: “The initial idea came from a forum where we ask the young people what they would like to do. In Radnor, we always try and push the boundaries and go that bit further and come up with unique ideas.
“The weather was damp and the temperature above average, but everyone was feeling the cold when just sitting around, even with lots of layers on - and that was the worst part. Most commented they coped okay for 24 hours but that would soon change if it was for any longer, and fully appreciated how tough it would be to be truly homeless.”
To provide some activities for the Explorers, they were challenged to scavenge some cardboard and make shelters from them, with the addition of tin foil and bin bags. Most of the Explorers took inspiration from the sleep pods they had seen when visiting Helping our Homeless Wales earlier this year.
A message of support from Bear Grylls about getting insulation beneath you was also taken into account.
Another activity the Explorers took part in was to make signs about the challenge and go out with collection buckets and sit in various locations around Presteigne to see what difference that made to how much was donated. The residents of Presteigne showed their generosity and almost £250 was raised in just a few hours.
Later on Saturday, the Explorers took shelter in an open-sided barn to keep the rain off while sleeping
In the evening, Sarah and Catherine from Helping out Homeless Wales arrived with hot food, drinks and spare clothing for the group which was a great surprise to the Explorers. Everyone was extremely grateful for this and it helped the team enormously through the night.
The last challenge was to survive on £2 for the 24 hours - bread and snacks fed the group and saw them through until the following lunchtime.
Ade said: “As of now we have just raised £2000 which we are amazed by.
“The Explorers have gone above and beyond what was hoped for, and comments on the Facebook pages have made us extremely proud of what has been achieved so far - but we are not finished yet because our challenge continues.”
The next step, once all funds have been collected, is to buy essential items for Helping Our Homeless Wales. The Explorers will then deliver them to Builth Wells so they can distributed to those in need.
Ade would like give a special thank you to Radnor Explorer leaders and Radnor leaders - this was a team effort and he says it could not have taken place without them.
If you would like to donate to the appeal, in aid of Helping Our Homeless Wales, please visit: