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The Mall sleepover raises £2300 to help homeless

Luton Scouts Discover What Being Homeless At Christmas Really Means

2nd December 2007 -- 

Over 100 Luton Scouts and their leaders have found out what it is like to be homeless at Christmas. Deprived of their comfortable beds, they slept over night in Luton’s massive shopping Mall with all the festive trappings around them. But they found the flashing decorations, the noise and the hard floor were not quite the spirit of Christmas when you wanted to sleep. Jim O’Connor of homeless charity NOAH Enterprise said, “For the first time the Scouts had a chance to experience the conditions Luton’s homeless live through every night.”

The young people ranged from the youngest Beaver Scout aged six to eighteen year old Explorer Scouts. They came from all three districts in the town and represented nine Scout Groups. As an extra community care project they also raised over £2300 to help the NOAH charity with their work.

Just like the some of the homeless, the Scouts had a sing-song round an indoor simulated camp fire and a supper of hot dogs before trying to get some sleep. One young Cub Scout said, “It’s sad to know that some people will have to sleep on the hard ground this Christmas. But I’m glad NOAH can help them.”

Someries District Commissioner Kam Patel, who co-ordinated the Scouts effort commented:
“Sleeping overnight in your local shopping centre certainly isn’t an everyday occurrence! More importantly, the Scouts learnt a lot about the issues faced by the homeless and in true scouting tradition they gave something back to the community.”

Jim O’Connor from NOAH Enterprise added:
“It was truly heart-warming to see the effort these young people put into raising funds for NOAH. What was even more heartening was the compassion they showed for the many individuals NOAH Enterprise helps.”

Brian McFarland, General Manager of The Mall Arndale, Luton concluded:
“As far as I’m aware this is the first time that any shopping centre in the UK has held an overnight sleepover on such a scale. The whole event has been deemed a great success by all involved. I’d like to extend a big thank-you to all of the Scouts involved. They really entered into the spirit of the event and had great fun while learning about the issues faced by the homeless and disadvantaged in the area. We’re delighted that we can play our part in helping NOAH Enterprise to raise funds and increase awareness of their work among future generations.”

NOAH Enterprises (New Opportunities and Horizons) has been helping Luton’s homeless and those at the margins of normal life for over 20 years. Around 500 disadvantaged people pass through their Park Street centre every year. In 1999 H M Queen opened the training centre and in 2006 the charity won the prestigious Best of Luton award for their work. They are now planning to open a purpose built four storey centre on the site of an old car park in Brunswick Street.

For More Information Contact:

Luton Scouts Media Manager

Webmaster: Brendan Owen

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