This is a text-only version of an article first published on Thursday, 23 May 2019. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
ONE cold Friday night in December 2016 a group of Scouts, adventurers and parishioners slept out at Begbroke Church to raise money for the Church Urban Fund 2016 appeal.
In all, nearly 30 people turned up for a night of singing around the camp fire, midnight feasts and general fun and games.
The Revd Nathan Jarvis, the Vicar, said: "We had a 'time of imagining' when we tried to put ourselves in the position of a homeless person.
As the weather was especially mild, several of us slept in the open air, and some in a tent.
It was surprising even with the mild weather, how cold it was sleeping outside.
I managed to bag a bench, which was not too bad, but even so, it made me think about how fortunate I am."Nathan has been part of a campaign to eradicate a new type of bench used in Towns and City Centres, including Oxford, that are supposed to 'design out' homelessness, making those who have nowhere to sleep less visible, thus preserving the image of affluence and cleanliness in our centres.
In Oxford, groups of people are regularly moved on, or even shipped off in vans to less desirable locations.
We cannot simply move the problem on, we need to try and tackle it, and confront the aspects of society that make us uncomfortable.
Out of sight, is not out of mind. Nathan said: "We cannot simply move the problem on, we need to try and tackle it, and confront the aspects of society that make us uncomfortable.
Out of sight, is not out of mind. As a result of Friday nights adventures, Begbroke Church may well make this a yearly event such was the response from the villages and especially from the uniformed organisations." ;