WORRYING statistics about the prevalence of homelessness in care leavers inspired children and staff from a residential children’s home to raise funds for charity.
Mill House, part of Keys, chose to raise money for Centrepoint, the homelessness charity, after learning that people who were previously in care were more likely to end up homeless.
The three young people who live at the home, which is in Peterborough, were joined by the staff team to undertake a 5km walking challenge which saw them raise an impressive £847.50 for Centrepoint.
Manager at the home Saddia Shafiq said: “As a group, we read some really worrying statistics about how many children are homeless in the UK and that those who have previously been in care are more likely to become homeless.
“We aim to hold one fundraising event every year – the previous year we raised more than £600 for a local charity supporting children with disabilities – and we thought that Centrepoint was an excellent charity to support this time.
“With support from families, friends, colleagues, and others, we were able to raise more than £800, something the children were very proud of.
“We have already identified our next charity challenge too; this time we’ll be walking to raise funds for breast cancer research and support, a cause that’s been chosen by one of the young people. It’s another great cause and we’re sure people will get right behind us for this next challenge!”
