This Summer, we're raising awareness around the amount of walking that people facing homelessness have to do just to meet their basic needs. We're used to hearing about a 'mental health walk' and how good it can be to get out there and pound the pavement or wander in the park, but for some people walking is a day after day, night after night, exhausting reality, draining them, making them vulnerable to the elements, to attacks, and to injury. At RESTART, we've seen the condition that our homeless guests' feet can get into from living like this, the blisters, open wounds, sores, and the impossibility of healing while walking remains the way to get around.

Every day, those who are homeless can walk anywhere between 10 and 15 miles just to find food, resources and shelter. Some of our guests even tell us that at night they feel safer just walking around so as not to be still and therefore a 'sitting target' - there's not even rest necessarily at the end of a long hard day. ⁠

On Sunday 8th June, we're getting together as one big movement, and walking a lap of Hyde Park, bearing in mind all of those who have to walk to meet their basic needs, and raising awareness, by our presence and visibility, about this issue that we all care so deeply about. Not just that, in the two weeks leading up to June 8th, I'll be walking my commute every single day - 3 miles there and 3 miles back come rain or shine, that's 60 miles in total, nearly 3 marathons!

The funds we raise will go directly to the work RESTART does to support those facing homelessness, to support them to move on from rough sleeping, into accommodation, to work on their physical and mental health, and to heal from the hard situation they've been experiencing. Last year we were able to offer over 14000 hot meals, gave out coats, sleeping bags and thermals to all who needed to stay out of the elements. We took on 165 one to one cases, and out of those 1/3 of guests were able to move into permanent accommodation, while 50% of guests were able to improve their living situation in some way within the first 12 months working with us. We offered mental health support in terms of one to one and group therapy to all who needed, and saw 100% of those engaged improve their mental health according to the NHS measurement tool, the PHQ4. Our impact is huge, but we desperately need funds to be able to carry on providing the lifeline that we do. So, please consider donating to our cause!