Brighton boxer gets an insight into rough sleeping

Boxing champion Nick Jenman took to Brighton’s streets for three days and nights to raise funds for homeless charity Brighton Housing Trust (BHT).
Nick Jenman and Jo Berry, Brighton Housing TrustNick Jenman and Jo Berry, Brighton Housing Trust
Nick Jenman and Jo Berry, Brighton Housing Trust

He raised £2,260 for the charity’s First Base Day Centre, which helps rough sleepers in the city.

Nick took no phone, money or sleeping bag with him and used only the services available to rough sleepers in the city. He was motivated by a desire to teach his six-year-old daughter about homelessness, he said.

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While Nick said he was clear that he was not experiencing the difficulties of someone who is genuinely homeless, he was able to gain a small insight into some of the issues and dangers homeless people face.

Nick said: “The nights were the hardest and I only managed a couple of hours sleep each night. The minutes felt like hours, the hours like days.”

Nick met people who had fallen into homelessness following a break up or the death of a partner, and said he was struck by how easily it could happen.

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One night Nick shared a bench on the seafront with a man who was sleeping rough at night but working as a chef during the day.

BHT said it is increasingly working with people who are homeless despite being in work.

Andy Winter, chief executive of BHT, said: “Nick has really gone the extra mile to raise much needed funds for First Base, our day centre for rough sleepers. We are amazed with his efforts and so grateful for his support.”

To find out more about BHT, visit: www.bht.org.uk

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