An Emmaus Village Carlton companion has two nights to go in six-month sleepout.
Ruth (60) launched a 6-month sleepout for Winter Night Shelter Milton Keynes at the end of March this year; her final night will be Wednesday 16 September.
Undeterred by global pandemic, heatwaves, storms and many other challenges Ruth has been sleeping out with no tent, in a bedding kit made herself from charity shop blankets, car windscreen insulators and tarpaulin. She has raised just over £2,000 for the charity so far but is hoping people will show their support and sponsor her during the final days.
Ruth’s plans to sleep out in the gardens of friends and family across the country were thwarted by COVID-19. After staying in the garden of family members she recently moved to become a companion here at Emmaus Village Carlton. Although she was given a room Ruth has faithfully continued with sleeping under the stars each night, setting up camp within our grounds.
Ruth has settled well into Emmaus life and is a caring and respected member of the community. We have great admiration for the dedication Ruth has shown to help homeless people in this way and we have been happy to support her in any way we can. We hope Ruth’s determination will inspire people to contribute to her fundraising and help raise much needed funds for Winter Night Shelter MK, a very worthwhile cause.
Ruth undertook the challenge in memory of her husband Richard, who died last year. She explains, “I am choosing to support the WNSMK because, in many ways, volunteering for them after Richard’s death helped me to carry on, and I have seen how they help people in great need. The way in which I have decided to support the charity is a fitting tribute to Richard and how we lived life together. Richard and I led what you might call an unconventional life, mostly on boats, and never feeling ‘at home’ in a house.”
Sara Millington, Communications Manager at the Winter Night Shelter Milton Keynes, says, “We applaud Ruth for taking on such a momentous challenge, and it has been a joy to follow her progress and provide encouragement along the way. We rely heavily on donations and fundraising to provide emergency accommodation and move-on support for rough sleepers, so the money raised will go directly to help the homeless and vulnerable in the winter months ahead.”
Please encourage Ruth in her efforts by making a donation to her Justgiving page to support local rough sleepers this winter.
[Photo credit: Winter Night Shelter Milton Keynes]