Mr John Banbury (Chair) gave thanks on behalf of Nightstop and spoke of the need of support like this to ensure the continuation of this vital work: “Our statistics show the need for all of our services.  Providing emergency accommodation for homeless young people in the homes of volunteers is the basis of our work, but we also have a Starters project which has proved invaluable.  We provide practical and emotional support to young people, the majority of whom are care leavers, when they get their first independant accommodation. Our support to the young person can continue for many years and our records show many young people do return to Nightstop for support after the initial plan has ended. ”

“Small local charities like Nightstop exist on a shoestring budget and the Duchy of Lancaster donation will enable us to continue providing these much needed services.”

Nightstop is always on the lookout for new volunteers and sources of funds.  If you feel that you can help in any way they can be contacted on 0161 474 0520 or at www.nightstop-stockport.net

Vicki Lees (Coordinator), Dr Mukti Bhattacharyya, John Banbury

Starting at 6am, they spent the day in and around Stockport town centre. Nothing was open at first but they found somewhere to shelter near a block of flats, and played ‘I spy’ to amuse themselves. Later they returned to the town centre, to use the public toilets and to visit the Wellspring. ‘We had a cup of tea and spoke to the staff who all seemed really nice and very approachable’ says Natalie. They met with Stockport Housing who explained how they deal with homelessness.

Next they spent some time in the town centre but felt that they were getting funny looks from passers by and decided to return to the shelter they had used earlier. ‘We felt safe there,’ explains Natalie, ‘It felt like our own place.’ But as the day drew to a close it all became too much and at 11.30pm they decided to give up.

‘We just couldn’t handle it any longer. We were completely drained – tired, wet and depressed. I think the worst thing was having no structure to the day. We just can’t imagine what it would be like to be permanently homeless as we struggled to mange for 17 hours. It was a complete eye opener and really did make us appreciate just how lucky we are to have a roof over our heads.’