Spending a night sleeping rough is eye-opener for Cambridge Regional College students
Students had a taste of life on the streets when they braved a night in the cold to raise awareness for homelessness
charity Emmaus.
The teenagers from Cambridge Regional College put up a make-shift shelter and camped out in temperatures which dropped to 2C, supported only by a late-night soup kitchen from Emmaus.
The students, who are studying uniformed services, motor vehicle and international courses at the college, kept a fire going throughout the night to stay warm.
Lecturer Andrew Blackmore said: “It was very cold and the students had to complete challenges every hour to earn the essentials for survival – using a newspaper for warmth, fire-lighting, creating a shelter and problem-solving.
“The Emmaus soup kitchen showed the students the sort of support given to people sleeping on the streets and really opened their eyes to the plight of those who are homeless.”
The sleepout also raised more than £350 for Cambridge-based charity SOS Children’s Villages UK, which works in 125 countries to provide family homes, schools, medical centres, and community outreach to vulnerable children and families.