Braving storms for the homeless

It was dark when I arrived at the 12^th Century church of St Margaret of Antioch, Barley in Hertfordshire, and storm Darragh’s gusts were building towards expected winds of 60mph.

Rev Mark led candle-lit Compline, to celebrate the first Advent week of 2024, and also mark the start of the village’s annual sleep-out, now in its 8^th year.

As we sat in the peaceful nave, you could hear the storm picking up its pace. Every year, this small group braves a night sleeping rough to raise vitally needed money for CUF’s work with homeless and vulnerably housed people, and they weren’t going to let high winds stop them this time round.

To date, they’ve raised an astounding £40,000. Local supporter Andrew Sims explained:

“We wanted something that helped us act in solidarity with people forced to sleep rough. So many fundraising events for charity don’t have an obvious link but this has a really close connection. That has two benefits. Firstly, just for one night it gives us a tiny glimpse of how hard this must be, night after night, for those who have no choice but to sleep rough. Secondly, makes it easier to explain to donors what we are raising funds for – they can really see the link between our activity, and those who will ultimately benefit.

We always do this at the start of Advent. For me, that’s really important. Of course, not everyone who does the sleep-out is a churchgoer, but the time of year is significant. We have so much to be thankful for, and our ‘Sleepout’ helps donors connect with what really matters in our community, like being generous to those who are living rough, because they are down on their luck, or have been forced to flee difficult situations.

Lots of local members of the community support us, and we welcome all donations – large or small, they’re all important. It’s heartwarming that everyone’s still eager to give, despite the cost-of-living increase.”

Sophia Wrangham showed me their rough sleeping site. I was expecting comfy tents, and instead found basic ‘Basha’ type shelters, which are essentially simple tarpaulins hung from trees , like those often used by the army. They explained why they hadn’t gone for high-tech options:

“We wanted to stay authentic to the experience of those who don’t get a choice, and aren’t just doing it for one night. For the first few years we slept under our tarpaulins around the church. Now we’re in the churchyard, as the bushes and trees afford some protection from the wind. Mind you, it can surprise anyone using the footpath through the graves as a late-night short-cut!”

The Basha style shelters were close to the ground, and the group had attached them only to the lowest trees, mindful of gale-force warnings for later that night. Sophia added;

“It’s important to get lots of layers under your sleeping bag to insulate you.”

Now in her 80’s, she looked well prepared in the thick coat she was wearing, and remarked that her sleeping bag was one she’d used when trekking in the Himalayas.

Another sleep-out volunteer, Mark Hamblin, works in property and many of his industry associates are generous sponsors because in their line of business, they see so many homeless people on the streets. His approach to the sleepout is described by fellow eventers as ‘ad hoc’, sometimes eschewing even a basic shelter, and instead rolling himself in a ground sheet. He told me,

“One time, it rained all night, and by morning my pillow just had one head-shaped dry spot – everything else was soaked. That said, I always sleep really well!

You never know who has experienced homelessness”, he went on, “A few years back I came here straight from a black-tie London Christmas party. I got a taxi from the nearby station. The driver asked ‘Where to?’ and I said ‘Barley Churchyard’. You can imagine that got the conversation started, all about the charity sleep out! When we pulled up, I asked what the fare was, and he said £20 but told me to donate it, as he’d been homeless once. That really hit home, even as I was changing out of my black-tie in the vestry, into my thermal layers.”

Dr Mark Hearn is also a regular, and talked about how it felt to sleep in the churchyard;

“It’s uncomfortable for most of us, even if we try to deprive ourselves of sleep in the nights running-up to it – there are noises throughout the night; owls, deer, and of course the church bells chime the hours, that keep you awake. One year we slept out for two nights, which was really brutal and it drove home that it’s not just the cold that gets to you, it’s the boredom too, with nothing to break the day up or lift the spirits.”

CUF remains incredibly grateful to Andrew, Mark, Mark, and Sophia for undertaking this year’s storm-lashed rough sleeping. As I left for my warm bed, they seemed well-prepared for the night ahead, and told me they’d got though snow before, and temperatures as low as minus 4, so were confident of their chances with Storm Darragh. And they can also be confident that the £40,000 they have raised has given warmth, welcome, and a hand-up to thousands of homeless and vulnerably housed men and women across the country, for which we say thank you.