There is a special place in our hearts as we walk through our streets of London, warm and cosy in our jackets and scarves. As we head home to safety, we cannot help but stare in sadness at the old boy huddled in the corner of a doorway who lays on damp cardboard, covered in a flimsy sodden blanket. He looks tired and lost. A homeless human being.

On the 5th December 2014, a walk through London will be taking place in order to support the homeless. There are many reasons why someone may become without a home: redundancy, relationship breakdown, mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction, domestic abuse. The homeless are 47 times more likely to be victims of theft and 13 times more likely to be violently assaulted than any member of the general public. It is not very often that we consider the struggles of those without homes and those that are constantly enduring Britain’s adverse weather conditions, especially during the particularly colder months. Christmas time, a time for family and friends, giving and receiving and good will to all men prompts us to think about how we are going to address such a heart-breaking issue that is happening right in front of our eyes.

A group of charitable Facebookers was established on the 22nd November by Charlotte, offering other Facebook users across the borough, the opportunity to help, donate and take part in this expedition, to help the homeless. The focus is to try to provide people sleeping on the streets of London with warm, clean clothing and a ‘goodie bag’ filled with snacks, drinks and sweets. The response to Charlotte’s plea for help was amazing, people and their families, throughout the borough and some further afield, have taken the time to donate coats, jumpers, hats, scarfs, gloves, socks and shoes. Others have donated food, in all different forms, ranging from a box of chocolates to a huge multipack of chocolate bars. Offers have been pouring in to provide hot and cold food and offers from people in their droves wishing to make the journey alongside Charlotte and help distribute the aid.

The group aims to divide into smaller clusters and then walk all of the streets throughout the City of London on the evening of the 5th, leaving from New Eltham Station at 5pm. There has also been a van allocated to transport all of the donations to London to ensure that the helpers are able to achieve their goal of delivering the bags to the homeless.

The immense publicity gained through the use of this social networking site is amazing and has allowed for this event to be planned for successfully. On a daily basis, the group are receiving further support and volunteers to help the fight against homelessness in London and accomplish the ultimate goal to give a sense of hope to all of those living on our streets by offering tokens of care and thought.

Christmas, for most, signifies the importance of selflessly giving to others, but I feel that it is the giving money and support to charitable ideas, like this, that is crucial during the festive season and throughout the rest of the year for that matter.

‘No act of kindness, no matter how small... is ever wasted.’

Grace Ellis - Townley Grammar School