College of West Anglia students sleep out to raise cash and awareness for homelessness

Uniformed services students and National Citizen Service staff (NCS) from the College of West Anglia (CWA) took part in an overnight charity event hosted by the YMCA Trinity Group.

Students and staff slept overnight at Peterborough Cathedral to experience what it is like to be homeless for the night. The event began at 7pm and finished at 7am the following morning.

Students participated in various activities throughout the night, including learning how to build their own shelter.

There was also a variety of performances taking place, including live music and singing performances and poetry readings to keep the students entertained overnight.

The event was organised with the aim of raising awareness of homelessness and to raise money for the YMCA Trinity Group.

The students and staff raised a total of £232 for the locally-based charity. The YMCA Trinity Group enable young people to develop to their full potential to give them a brighter future, across Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and into Northamptonshire.

Students found this experience both interesting and eye-opening as it gave them a unique opportunity to experience what it would be like to sleep rough for the night.

Sasha Setela, an NCS staff member, who helped to organise the event said: “A massive well done to our uniformed services students for taking up the challenge and taking a big step out of their comfort zones.

"The event was a huge success and we not only managed to raise money for the YMCA, but it was also an invaluable experience for our learners, too.”