Steyning schoolgirls go wild camping to support Crisis

Steyning Grammar School students Ellie Aungier and Bronwyn Marshall camped out in the woods in hammocks near their homes and have so far raised £779.

Ellie said: “I received a letter from the homeless charity, Crisis, which inspired me to do a presentation to my class and ask for donations.

“But then I decided I should do something worth sponsoring. I called my friend Bronwyn and told her about an idea to do the 12-hour challenge by sleeping rough and staying in nature for over 12 hours.

“We had lots of fun but it was so cold. The forest was very creepy at night and we were sleeping under tarps, not tents. There were also eerie noises of creatures around us but we were fine.”

Bronwyn said she had been worried at first but said yes and before long, the girls were planning their trip.

Bronwyn said: “I agreed to go camping to raise money for Crisis because I would like to help the homeless off the streets.

“First we created a list if things to bring and how we were going to get the word out about our trip. To spread the word, we each created a fundraising page about our camp out.

“Then we decided to write a speech, so on video call, we wrote a speech explaining what we were going to do.”

The girls planned a 12-hour camp out in a woods to experience what it is like for people on the streets and to raise awareness, as they felt this issue was not visible in Steyning.

In their speech, they said: “People are still living on the streets during lockdown and this could lead to a second wave, it has been proven that people on the streets can be more vulnerable to coronavirus.

“These conditions make it so homeless people aren’t able to wash their hands, they don’t have PPE to protect themselves and they will find it hard to self isolate in these horrible times.

“During the pandemic, collective action has provided temporary housing for 15,000 in England alone. Now we need to work together so there’s a home for all.

“Any donations are welcome to give to Ellie and Bronwyn to make homelessness a thing of the past. Our aim is to raise £200 to give to the charity Crisis to help the homeless to get off the streets and into accommodation.”

The girls gave out sponsorship forms and had a collection pot, helping to boost their fundraising to nearly four times their target. Visit www.justgiving.com/team/WildCampers to make a donation.

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