On June 8th I will be taking part in the Warner Music’s Wild Tri - a triathlon charity challenge taking place in the Lake District to raise money for youth homelessness charity Centrepoint. All of the money raised will help to transform the futures of vulnerable young people and young families facing homelessness in London - providing them with housing, health and learning, so please dig deep.

What is the Wild Tri?

1. 9.6km cycle from Langdale YHA to Waterhead
2. 4km canoe around Lake Windermere
3. 33km cycle from Waterhead to Sticklebarn
4. 10.5km Mountain walk around the iconic Langdale Pikes
5. 7.6km cycle back to Langdale YHa

What do Centrepoint do?

Centrepoint is the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, working directly with some of the most vulnerable young people in our society.

Centrepoint’s work extends far beyond just providing a room. Every year Centrepoint helps 9,200 young people to tackle the issues that led them to become homeless and give them the support they need to live independently. Centrepoint provides specialist psychotherapy and counselling, accredited education programmes, life-skills courses, such as cooking and budgeting, as well as opportunities to gain work experience and more. Centrepoint provides the positive intervention most homeless young people have never experienced before. Their programmes of support ensure that 88% of young people move on successfully by finding a home and entering work or education, leaving homelessness behind.

Homelessness - what’s the problem?
Each year 86,000 young people approach their council because they’re homeless or at risk of homelessness, and in the last year the number of young people forced to sleep rough in London alone has doubled. These young people have nowhere to live, no family and no one to support them.

Young people experiencing (and at risk of) homelessness are among the most socially excluded and vulnerable members of society. Centrepoint young people are often victims of severe family breakdown, physical and mental abuse or neglect. Typically, the traumatic experiences faced by homeless young people result in poor mental and physical health as well as poor educational attainment.
• 70% have experienced family breakdown, abuse or neglect
• 62% have mental health issues
• 40% have no qualifications whatsoever
With little or no familial or social networks to rely on, individuals are often trapped in a cycle of exclusion and despair.