Night for the Homeless December 2015

"There is the sky which is all men's together" Euripides

Our Biggest Event EverOn 12 December 2015 a team of 40 people took to the streets to spread light and hope to the homeless in London.

The team: Ben (the chef), Donald (photographer), Szilvia (the baker), Amera, Lubia, Aisha, Lia, Cheryl, Werda, Kodjo, Phoebe, Banita, Peter, Jack, Darren, Annie, Ashley, Raina, Emma, Alice, TJ, John, Karen L, Naheed, Zara, Levente, Tamas, Richard, Andrea, Mikkel,

Helena, Mariam, Ayesha, Karen M and Guiseppe.

We’re Getting BiggerDecember 2015 was our 6th Night for the Homeless event since the

start in 2012.

With the humanitarian crises in the Jungle refugee camp in Calais we have expanded our focus to support for that cause.

In the last since 2012 the Under One Sky collective has reached 750 homeless in London and raised close to £25,000 in donations.

Our collective has grown to 95 people and is a microcosm of London in terms of cultural, ethnic and religious diversity.

Donations up by 41%!

£7,880

143 people donated to our campaign this year.

Close to 3000 people visited our campaign site.

Good planning is half the battle…

Banita – Master of Envelopes

SzilviaMaster Baker

MikkelMaster of Socks

Ben – Master Chef

RichardMaster Bag Man

Naheed – Thread Master

At this event each homeless person received; a meal, a bottle of water, home baked cakes, a £30 gift card to Argos, 3 pairs of thermal socks, 2 pairs of underwear, messages of hope and we also brought a selection of sweaters,

leggings and other clothing.

Words to Uplift and Inspire

I know you can climb the highest mountains. Never lose faith in

yourself. Love Juliette from Amsterdam

"No matter where you are in life, always know that God loves you,

you are not forgotten and Believe! You can make a difference - stay

positive, have kindness in all you do and all you see, don't worry, stay in the moment and never lose faith.

Love and allow yourself to be loved!"

Jeni Brocato ~ NY, NY. Aka: Little Red Bird Chirps.

Messages of hope and light contributed by our friends across the globe are handed out with the gift cards. Below are a few examples.

I cannot begin to imagine the hardships of life on the streets. I hope the team today manage to

show you that you are in the thoughts and prayers of so many

people who want to help. Society is at it's best when we work together and look after each other. Wishing

you the strength to pull through these tough times and hope that acts of kindness and generosity,

patience and understanding make their way to you in order that you

can move towards safer living. Thinking of you and hoping you are able to find warm and safe shelter

this Christmas. Saher, London x

Dear friend, I want you to know that we are thinking about you and we

care about you. Whatever you are going through at the moment is temporary because nothing is

forever. I pray that you will find peace and happiness very soon and I

pray that your dreams will come true. You are a gift to this world, you are important and you are needed

here so never forget that. Keep safe and well. Wishing you a happy

Christmas and New Year with lots of love. Amera, London

We wish you light and hope and love. You are brave and good, and we hope this night will bring some

warmth into your lives. Merry Christmas. Christine from London

"It's not over until you win." Levente, London

You are always in my thoughts and prayers. I wish you happiness and

peace in your journey. Sending you so much love, XXX. Naheed, London

5 Teams ready for Action

In one night we cover most parts of Central London.

Our Grandmother at Victoria

Meet Mary who was sitting lonely in a crowd at Victoria station. She ended up on the street after her home was set on fire and she only just managed to escape. Imagine losing everything and then sliding right through the cracks in society. Imagine one of those lovely grandmothers in the children’s books…now sitting on the street

under a blanket in the dirty rain. Mary told us few people talk to her but several spit at her as they walk by. Those people must live in place less uplifting than the darkest dirtiest corner in London. If you see Mary around town

please look after our new grandmother.

A Lesson in Hospitality

The road to a life on the streets is paved with disappointing incidents which makes the pure and welcoming attitude of most homeless to strangers even more impressive. We met Neil who is dealing with serious health

problems. Yet his spirit lit up the darkness as we approached him. He was quick to suggest we all sit on his new sleeping bag to be comfortable as we spoke. And he had to fight back the tears as we gave him our food, clothing and gifts. Imagine if we all took such an open and loving approach to strangers. There are many valuable lessons

about being human to learn on the streets. Neil thank you for reminding us that "a stranger is a friend you haven't met yet".

Christmas Spirit on the Strand

Armed with Christmas jumpers kindly donated by Naheed Rana's dad we were bound to get some smiles and laughs out of the homeless we met on Saturday. The trick worked on happy chappies John and Joseph who were

outside a fine men’s wear shop on the Strand. Amazingly these two had two sleeping bags surplus to requirements which they asked us to take with us and find a more deserving home. These guys on the street are

to be applauded for the way they look out for each other.

The Music Man of St James

Meet the “Music Man” of St James. Two years ago we meet him and he played us a tune on his guitar. This time he attracted us by playing some tribal rhythms with a wooden stick on the pavement. He had an audience of 2 and

even some pyrotechnics for effect and more importantly to stay warm. He is such a humorous and lovely man. We joined him for a bit of jamming with sticks. He kept repeating “I just love spirit of you guys” and we could easily have spent the rest of the night with him and his 2 friends. Having a positive, open minded and caring spirit can

make a world of difference. In this case it made a difference to both our worlds.

Loving it at the Ritz

For the second year running we met Keith sitting outside the Ritz hotel on Night for the Homeless. We were out of gift envelopes when we met him but luckily I’d been given 2 gift cards recently…one for Keith and one for his

partner. This man is lover, life fighter and comedian all in one person. The positive spirit he oozes is truly inspiring. According to the commercials Christmas is all idyllic family time but in reality it is a time where many strained

family relationships are tested. If you are among those who will be tested in the next few days take a lesson from Keith or the Dalai Lama. Whatever you are faced with don’t let it steal your inner peace and positive spirit.

…and so many other human beings

…full of love and gratitude

“Water, stories, the body, all the things we do, are mediums that hid and show what's hidden.” Rumi

Next stop for the Under One Sky collective will be bringing aid and working in the Jungle refugee camp in Calais at the end of January.

Contactwww.facebook.com/Under1Sky

A massive THANK YOU goes out to each of you who supported our fund raising campaign. Your donations

are touching lives near and far. We hope this report from the streets goes some way in proving that.