Since moving to Manchester in September to study, I was overwhelmed with the amount of homeless people there were.
I knew homelessness was an issue in our country, but I had no idea it was this bad.
On a ten minute walk, I would see on average, 7 homeless people and I see new people every time I make the same journey.
Sometimes its hard giving 'spare change' to the homeless, if, like me, you don't often carry change with you, however, I always try to grab an extra sandwich or snack when I'm at the shops, to give to a homeless person on my way home, but I want to do more.
A lot of these homeless people I see every day also have dogs, many of whom, i've stopped to speak to, and they all say that they would rather stay with their beloved dog than move into a hostel and have their best friends taken away from them, and often, those homeless owners, spend the small money they raise daily on their dogs, or their last item of clothing, is being worn by their companion.
It's so easy to think that these people are homeless because its their 'own fault' or you 'shouldn't give them money because they spend it on drugs and alcohol', for some this may be the case, but for 100% of the people I have spoken to, its definitely not. These people have often ended up homeless for no fault of their own, for various reasons, often they've lost all the family they have.
I feel guilty when I walk home from work, seeing these freezing cold, hungry people. I know we have to do something.
I've spent many walks around Manchester chatting to the homeless, finding out what I can do to help.
These need help for food, fresh water, blankets, spare clothes, money for simple every day tasks that we take for granted, such as, doing their washing and taking a shower at their local shelter.

On the week beginning July 24th, I will be buying all of the above with the money raised and taking it to the many homeless.

Any money, big or small, you can donate , would be a massive help!