Homelessness charity volunteer Georgia Romeril, 27, from High Wycombe, is taking part in Wycombe Homeless Connection’s ‘Big Sleepout’ next month. She writes:

I’ll be honest, I’m scared. I mean, what did I sign up for? I’ll be freezing cold, sleeping on the hard ground, it might rain and it’ll be dark; like, really dark.

And the town centre at night; will it be safe? What if there’s trouble? Or what if I feel like an idiot, spending the night alongside a load of strangers doing the same stupid thing? When the alternative is to stay under my warm, cosy duvet and mind my own business.

Like I do every other night. But I’m determined, and I’m doing it anyway. Doing what, you ask? I’m doing the Wycombe Homeless Connection Big Sleepout 2015.

The vast majority of rough sleepers do it because they have no other choice; they would take any opportunity to move on.

It is an ongoing world of fear, desperation and hopelessness; a deep hole of shame and despair from which they are desperate to escape.

For me, it is just one night. It’s a brief insight into a world which is miles from the warmth and security of my cosy flat, yet one which is ‘on my doorstep’.

More importantly, it’s a chance to raise crucial funds for an organisation which helps the very people that suffer from the terrifying struggles of homelessness.

Bucks Free Press:

Big Sleepout at All Saints Church, in High Wycombe town centre.

Wycombe Homeless Connection provides support, advice and winter shelter to the real homeless people of High Wycombe. Their work focuses on individuals who do not qualify for council help and have nowhere else to turn.

Not only do they aid those in desperate need, but they also help their guests to rebuild their lives. At 9pm on Friday, November 20, I and up to 99 others will settle into our temporary home of All Saints Churchyard, where we’ll stay for the entire night and, I imagine, not actually sleep all that much.

If you’ve ever spent any amount of time outside on a cold November’s night then I think you’ll agree that this will be no easy feat.

Although we’re permitted to take sleeping bags, sleep mats and warm clothes, I fear no amount of jumpers or woolly hats could possibly make this experience in the slightest bit pleasurable.

I, for one, am not a fan of the cold. In fact, between November and May not a day goes by when I don’t dream of jetting off to a warmer continent to ride out the harsh winter. And over the coming weeks as the temperature drops, the daylight hours diminish and the leaves turn orange and start to fall, I’m sure that the reality of what I’m about to do will really sink in.

I may even start to regret the naively enthusiastic response of ‘YES! I would love to!’ that I gave when asked if I would take part.

Last year, the Big Sleepout raised an incredible £23,000. The powerful work of Wycombe Homeless Connection not only helps and supports around 400 people per year, but it has also increased the public’s awareness of the local issue of homelessness; one that is often hidden, yet frighteningly ever present.

Few of us would think twice about helping a neighbour in need. The same compassion can and should be shown to those without the fortune of a roof over their heads.

They too are our neighbours and they too, deserve our help. I intend to play a part in raising an even greater amount this year, and reaching even more people in Wycombe and the surrounding areas so that together, we can make a difference.

Follow my story on the BFP website over the coming weeks as I learn more about homelessness and the work of WHC, and as I prepare for my night out in the cold.

Sign up to take part in the Big Sleepout 2015 by visiting www. wyhoc.org.uk or sponsor me at: www.virginmoneygiving.com/georgiar