A group of Bedford Girls’ School students braved the elements when camping out on Cardington Road on Friday night (10th February), to raise over £1000 for a Bedford homeless charity.
In response to the elevated number of homeless people in the town, Lower Sixth students at BGS have been tackling the issue in recent months.
Before Christmas, the girls collected over 4,300 items of sanitary products to donate to homeless shelters. This was part of a nationwide campaign to give homeless women on their period greater access to sanitary products, and for the 5% tax on sanitary products to be removed, which has led to over 110,000 people signing a petition.
Led by Harriet Knights, 10 Lower Sixth students wanted to do more. The girls decided to sleep rough for one night to empathise with the homeless, and in the process raise funds for the Ampthill Road-based homeless charity, the King’s Arms Project.
“This is a cause close to our hearts – homelessness has a great impact on women, and periods make living on the streets even more difficult,” said Harriet, who helped raise £1100 via JustGiving in little more than 7 days.
“Sleeping out in freezing conditions was a real eye opener and made us realise how hard it is to survive on the streets, and how much homeless charities need the public’s help in terms of raising awareness and donations.”
To make a donation, please visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bgs-kingsarms
