Gary Collins was one of several deputies to take part in the event, sleeping outside at the KGV. He said it had proved to be a difficult night, where he slept fitfully and was up about every 45 minutes during the night.
‘I thought a lot about what experience I wanted to gain out of it,’ he said.
‘I took little with me. I wanted to experience what it would be like on day one of homelessness, so I just had the clothes I was wearing, a coat and a blanket.’
He started by sleeping on the floor, but moved to a bench, using part of the blanket to rest his head on.
In total, he said he managed about three hours of sleep.
‘It was really cold. I woke up every 45 minutes and got up, had a walk around and come back and try to get my head down again,’ said Deputy Collins.
‘There were people around sleeping and snoring, but there were also people up and about.
‘We’d leave our stuff and come back and it was wet from the dew, but it was a really important experience to have.’
Deputy Collins said he sent a message to his fellow deputies last week, reminding them that winter lets would soon be coming to an end, and people would be looking for accommodation as temporary winter arrangements concluded.
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