Charity challenges public to walk distance of homeless person this August

West Yorkshire homelessness charity Simon on the Streets is challenging the public to step into the shoes of a homeless person this August and walk 26 miles.

Having tracked the distance a homeless person walks; an average day sees them travel 12-20 miles, sometimes even further, in search of food and accommodation. Undertaking the challenge herself, the charity’s CEO is marking her first year at the charity to take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, a whopping 26 miles in one day.

The challenge, named ‘Walk with Simon’ tasks people to cover the same distance as Simon on the Streets CEO Natalie Moran over a day, week, or throughout the month of August to raise vital funds for the charity to continue its work.

Natalie Moran, CEO of Simon on the Streets says: “We ask a lot of our supporters, to raise funds to ensure we can continue to provide homeless people across West Yorkshire with the practical and emotional support they need, and I wanted to get involved too. It felt like a perfect way to mark my first year as CEO of this fantastic organisation.

“This August I’ll be taking on my most gruelling challenge and walking the 26 miles across the Yorkshire Three Peaks with a group of friends. I thought this would be a great opportunity to raise funds and awareness for my team to continue their hard work and I really hope the public will join me in taking on the Walk with Simon challenge too!”

Simon on the Streets focuses on supporting people who are homeless and at risk of becoming homeless in Leeds, Bradford, and Kirklees, and provide street-based, emotional, and practical support for those who cannot access mainstream services.

Leeds brand voice agency So Contented is one of the businesses to have signed up to complete the challenge with its team of five undertaking the 26 miles throughout the month and co-founder Helen Cliff is joining Natalie to walk the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

Helen Cliff comments: “We’re getting involved because Simon on the Streets is such a fantastic cause. The campaign around 'walking a mile in their shoes' really got us thinking. The stereotype of a homeless person asleep on a bench is just the tip of the iceberg, it's day after day of pure survival.

“As we come out of the pandemic, we're counting ourselves extremely lucky that we don't have to face these issues and have come out of the other side with our homes and our health. As a business, it is only right that we give back.

We've been supporting the charity for some time now, and we urge other businesses to get involved and make Simon on the Streets their nominated charity too!”

To take part, participants can obtain fundraising packs by emailing admin@simononthestreets.co.uk and donations to Natalie’s fundraising page are warmly welcomed at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/natalie-moran5.