Chapter 1 Southampton rides for homeless people

17 AUG 2011


Chapter 1 in Southampton rides out to raise funds for young homeless people in the city.
 

On Sunday 24 July three intrepid cyclists from Chapter 1 in Southampton set off an a “bike ride to somewhere”. They ended up covering almost 160 miles in 24 hours and made it all the way to Cambridge.

Until last week they had no idea where they were going. They knew they were leaving from Kingsley House, the hub of Chapter 1’s service for homeless young people in the city, but the direction was chosen at random by one of the residents. The card they picked was “north east” so on Sunday morning at 9am they set off. Twelve hours later they made it to Aylesbury.

Project worker Sarah Humphries explained: ‘We came up with the idea of the cycle “ride to somewhere” because so many of the young people we work with feel they are struggling to find a sense of direction in which they want their life to go, often coming up against many obstacles on the way. The bike ride was more than just a fund raising event. It was a way to highlight that whichever direction you take in life, you will end up somewhere.’

Sarah and her colleagues from Chapter 1, support worker Darren Curtis, and chaplain, Martin Batstone have already raised more than £1000 and donations are still coming in. All the money will go directly to support Chapter 1’s work with young homeless people in Southampton. They are raising money as they hope to get a minibus. This will increase the opportunities for off-site activities, focusing on those which promote team building, self-esteem and developing social skills.