A group of Ipswich youngsters are turning pounds into footsteps as part of a fundraising challenge for a local homelessness charity.
The project will see nine members of NCS hiking through Orwell County Park to raise money for The Bus Shelter in Ipswich.
NCS is a youth programme for youngsters aged 16 or 17 to help them with skills for the future.
The members of the group have been working on the project with local charity, Inspire Suffolk.
The project is part of their Social Action Week, where the group identifies an issue that is important to them and use their voices to make a positive change within the community.
The team will be helping The Bus Shelter Ipswich get closer to their fundraising goal of £75,000 which will be used to get their busses up and running to support some of the most vulnerable members of the community. They will be live streaming all of the action over on their Instagram page, @hiking_for_homeless, to raise awareness and encourage donations.
The distance they walk will be entirely up to the public with every £1.00 adding 100 metres to their challenge.
The members felt the need to put this fundraiser in place after they saw the increase of homelessness in the local area and wanted to do something about it. So far, they have raised over £200 and are hoping to raise even more during the event.
Team member, Josh, said: “When we started to look at how we could make a difference in the local area, we all agreed that supporting the homeless was something we felt strongly about.
"We wanted to show the community the great things young people could do while also leaving a lasting impact on a local charity.
"We chose to support The Bus Shelter Ipswich as we knew about the fantastic work they do and how the pandemic had affected them.”
NCS Team Leader, Maya, said:“We’re so proud of what the group have achieved already. The project was entirely youth directed and it is great to see them out in force, making a positive impact.”
Those looking to donate to the team can visit their crowdfunding page.
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