This Friday 13th October me and my old bones are nervously eyeing the forecast of cold and damp and will swap comfort for concrete, to take part in Sleep Out Bristol 2023 and raise money for homelessness. I'm raising money for One25 charity, who work with street sex workers. Over half of the women One25 work with experience homelessness and I'm doing this Sleep Out because the injustice of this enrages me. In particular, I'm doing this to celebrate the life of my friend and inspirational role-model Ellen Malos, who died in August. Ellen was an extraordinary, courageous, outspoken and funny woman who worked tirelessly for social justice and in particular for the rights of women to be free of violence and misogyny, and never gave up her belief in change. One of her earlier research studies was into homelessness, how that affects women fleeing violence and how local authorities respond - or not - to their needs (Women, housing, homelessness and domestic violence, Ellen Malos, Gill Hague 1997 Univ of Bristol). One25 is a Bristol women's charity which reaches out to some of the city's most marginalised women. One25 support them to move from crisis and trauma towards independence in the community, giving emotional and practical support, without judgment.

Here's an idea of what your donation could achieve:

- £35 can stock the outreach van for a week, giving women comfort

and safety on a long night.

- £10 can pay for the One25 Freephone helpline for a week.

- £6 can buy two attack alarms, helping to provide protection for

vulnerable women.

I really appreciate your support. Your generosity will help One25 to continue to provide life-changing services to brave and resilient women. It will continue to celebrate the life of Ellen Malos, to whom so many of us owe so much.