Over 30 Sugarman Group staff members stepped out onto the streets of London in November to speak to homeless people and hand out care packages.

Figures from the charity Shelter revealed that 320,000 people are recorded as homeless in the UK, with the overall number of people rising in the last year by 13,000. This means one in every 200 people in Britain are homeless and sleeping on the streets or stuck in temporary accommodation, including hostels and B&Bs.*

At Sugarman we want to help fight homelessness. Our teams created 50 care packages to hand out in Central London. Each Sugarman division donated items towards the care packages, including socks, hats, gloves, scarves, toiletries, lip balm, bottled water, snacks, pizza and sandwiches.

Mike Osborne, Sugarman Group Chief Operating Officer said: “We all found the walk a really emotional and humbling experience, meeting individuals who are in a situation they feel they can’t escape. One gentleman we met was 67 and had been living on the streets for 15 years – we offered food and warm clothing on a cold night and the gratitude was unbelievable. Thank you to everyone who donated items for the care packages to Sugarman locations across the UK. We look forward to arranging further activities in 2019.”

Danielle Secker, Executive Assistant at Sugarman Group, organised the walk and said “Working across the UK, Sugarman sees the effects homelessness has on communities – individuals suffering alone with a lack of support and ill health. We want to try and make a difference by not only taking the first steps to help end homelessness, but also hosting regular walks to donate care packages and support to those who need it.”

Sugarman Group is part of Cordant Group, the UK’s largest Social Enterprise.  We have an overarching social mission to make a positive impact on society and the lives of others and we are always looking for opportunities to support our local communities .

*Figures obtained from Shelter.org.uk