In summer 2015, I was approached by Trinity Homeless Projects after they found my poem I Matter online. Since then I’ve become an ambassador for the charity, and the poem has become their official “anthem”. That December, I bedded down for their Big SleepOut event in Hillingdon, and it had a huge impact on me. I did it again in 2016, and completing my hat-trick in the December just gone…
I rounded up a small gang of poets to take part in the fundraising, and also to perform a couple of pieces to the shivering crowd on the night! Poets Against welcomed Maria Ferguson, Genevieve L. Walsh and Mark Coverdale. We were given a flat-pack cardboard box, a plastic sheet and a flask for hot drinks.
Trinity do incredible work, and the Uxbridge has the one of the worst homelessness problems in the UK. The Big SleepOut is incredibly effective, and whilst it’s clearly nowhere near as harrowing as sleeping rough on the streets for real, it gives you a miniscule insight into what life might be like when you’re street homeless.
Our donations are open until 1 March, so if you could please chuck in a few quid, we’d be very grateful. We’ve set a modest target of £500. Click here to vist our #PoetsAgainstHomelessness fundraising page.
Matt Abbott Poet 