A team from the Rock Fitness gym in Goole have raised more than £1,000 for a homeless charity by sleeping out overnight in the town’s West Park.
The gym’s managing director, Dani Kenning, together with five of her staff and two gym members completed the daunting challenge on Friday, November 19 to raise much-needed funds for Help the Homelezz, which works with homeless people here in East Yorkshire. Dani, who volunteers with the charity on a weekly basis by going out onto the streets to take food and essential items to homeless people, admitted that she got no sleep at all that night, adding: “It was really hard - we slept on concrete in our sleeping bags because we wanted it to be as realistic as possible. We were lucky that it didn’t rain, but by the time it got to 2am it was very cold.”
Dani continued: “It really opens your eyes and I’ve never felt so lucky to be able to get into a nice, warm bed. It makes you realise how lucky we are, I don’t think I’d want to do it again. “I go around Hull every week with the charity volunteering and last week I was talking to a man who was absolutely shaking with the cold. It was dreadful to see. I think it has been a real education for me and my team. One of them saw a homeless man in Goole this week and went to take him a hot chocolate, which he maybe wouldn’t have thought about doing before." All of the money raised by the sponsored sleep out will go directly to Help the Homelezz, who provide hot food and other essential items to people sleeping on the streets of Hull and Goole.
Pictured is Mark Penn receiving a cheque from Dani Kenning. (02-12-400 SU)
