I confess.I'm a PRINCESS..not a trainee...a fully-fledged,one! I'm lucky. I live well, have security & get to enjoy many creature comforts. But last year I had a personal problem.& slept in my place of work, a launderette for a few nights. It got me thinking. Even though it was uncomfortable & unpleasant I still had a shelter, a bathroom & privacy. It was distressing nonetheless. My thoughts turned to those people who live rough continually: those that don’t even have the benefit of the little I had on those few disagreeable nights.Shelter,warmth & security are the most basic of human needs,yet in our society there are a growing swell of people who can’t even achieve these simple things. Can you imagine how desolate & hopeless a position it must be to not at least have somewhere to live? Nowhere to wash,eat, sleep. Statistically 3 Million UK families are only one paycheck away from homelessness Via my business, Bubbles Laundromat I subsequently offered a regular, free clothes washing service to homeless people within MK: something simple to facilitate but quite frankly not enough. Now through our association with the homeless drop-in centre, Open Doors, I heard about the YMCA’s Sleep Easy Challenge. This annual event allows volunteers to sleep rough for a night to raise funds & awareness of the Homelessness problems. Having lost £194,000 of council funding, the event is vital to the YMCA to support up to 150 young people via emergency hostels & flats. These young people tend to be the most vulnerable. YMCA help them attain key skills, employment & training. Annually 1000 people are left on the unmet needs list (basically 3 people per day that can’t be assisted). So on Friday 3rd March 2017, Princess Donnalee is sleeping rough on the streets of CMK. Just a cardboard box. No duvet, no fluffy sling-back mules, no warm dressing gown... OMG! Please, dig deep - help me raise cash to support people who need the very things we take for granted daily.
