Hardy volunteers sleep rough to raise funds for Newport night shelter
Revd Justin Groves tries out his sleeping bag on the steps of St Paul’s.
But many homeless people do not have even this degree of comfort.
Revd Justin Groves, priest-in-charge of St Paul’s, Newport is one of a group of around twenty hardy volunteers aged 14 to 65 being sponsored to sleep outdoors on 27 November to raise funds for a new Newport venture.
The Newport Night Shelter project – the first of its kind in Wales – is a joint venture involving seven of Newport’s churches and Newport Teen Challenge. During December and January, each church will provide one night’s accommodation and food each week for those referred to the project by agencies who help homeless people.
Project coordinator, Jade Holtham, of Newport Teen Challenge, explains that:
“This is a project we’ve been exploring for some time. I spent some time visiting homeless shelters in London and thought that we should do something similar in my home town of Newport.
“Winter can be bitterly cold and wet but we’re hoping that this December and January, 10 - 15 people, who would otherwise be sleeping rough, will have a regular place to sleep and eat. On the same night each week, one church will be opening its doors and letting the homeless people sleep in it overnight. They will also be served dinner and breakfast by the volunteers in each church, with some volunteers also staying the night at the church. The following night, the homeless people will be able to sleep in the next church involved in the project and so on, with their bedding being transferred there during the day.
“We’ve been really encouraged by the very positive response we’ve had from churches, agencies who help the homeless, local businesses who have helped with things like sleeping materials and of course by the number of people who have volunteered to help. We have learnt a lot from the way in which similar projects in London are run, and have adopted their procedures to ensure that the whole project is run as smoothly and safely as possible.
The Anglican churches taking part in the scheme are St Paul’s and St Matthew’s in Newport, and St Mary’s, Malpas.
If you would like to support the project, please contact Jade Holtham on 07814689634