I arrived at 7:15pm with a crisp breeze and temperatures of what felt like 0 degrees. Registered my presence with the organisers and then hung around a fire pit for warmth whilst others gathered. 9pm saw the local mayor arrive and thank us all for attending; it was her ‘nominated charity of the year’ although she politely refused to come and join us for the night. A round of chips for sustenance was in order, I figured that if the cold were to take effect on me, drinking wasn’t too clever and my stomach should be full of carbs to ensure I can stay in my box for the full night. A choir turned up at 10:45 for a few tunes around the fire, it was all rather charming, but the temperature was dropping, the wind was picking up and the cardboard box was awaiting me……….

By 11pm we had around 25 boxes of all shapes and sizes, many of us helping each other out with the idea that we should get as many layers beneath us rather then above us for comfort and insulation from the cold earth. Thankfully we didn’t actually have to form amongst the gravestones, but instead to the front of the church and just out of the wind. People were also warned not to pitch up too close to the walls of the church due to risk pigeon ‘fallout’…..This living rough is getting technical!?

So with my two boxes joined together and folded up origami style at one end for my feet, I slid into my sleeping bag and cardboard box for the night. I had saved a couple of layers to put on before retiring, namely a hat and the thickest scarf I could muster, my head was snug, and the scarf was now acting as my pillow.

Of course, I didn’t get to sleep much and the only rule I gave myself was not to check my watch for the time as it would only drag the night out. At some point I mush have stretched out trying to get comfy, but in doing so opened up the other end of my home. Now the wind was whistling through the box and cutting into my face and the box was flat packed around me. The decision to get out and reconstruct my home was overtaken by the bleakness of the winters night and not wanting to disturb those around me who may have actually be having more success then I.

Around 2am we expected the night revellers making their way home to disturb us shouting “what are all them boxes doin’ there” and other such non-printable phrases. It happened last year apparently, but I must have blanked it out if it happened this time. It really does give you a picture of how hard it is to find a place to put your head down when you literally have nowhere to go.

By 6:00am the Volunteers for Doorway had set-up the church hall for a bacon sandwich and a hot cup of tea. Steve (ed) woke those of us still in our boxes by 6:30 with a fantastic rendition of “rise and shine, and give God the glory, glory” and that was it, I had made it….probably sleeping for about an hour solidly, feeling jet lagged and cold to the bone, but thankful the night was over.

Others I spoke with shared their experiences of the night, somebody kept most of the women folk up with snoring (it wasn’t me honest), the pigeons cooing was another annoyance, but most experienced the cold and only imagining the solitude of somebody who has no choice but to live like this daily.

The Salvation Army and the Doorway project have turned many lives around for the better and it's drop in centre and spin off projects have a massive impact on those less fortunate then ourselves. The organiser of the event (Lisa) was amazed at how local people in North Wiltshire manage to fund their work almost entirely as government and large corporations give very little. So it’s the likes of you and I that keep this most worthy of operations going. Any future fundraising I do will give something if not all of my effort to Doorway.

article added 18/02/09