Sleeping pitch side at Hampden Park on Friday night for Action for Children's Boycott Your Bed event puts things into perspective. Trading a mattress for a sleeping bag at the national stadium is a direct way to raise money and awareness for young people facing homelessness. But the reality check doesn't stop when you pack up at dawn.
Driving this morning (Monday) to grab a coffee before leaving to head back south, the news on the radio brought the whole thing straight back into focus. Commentary and reports highlighting warnings from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation that the Scottish Government is way off track on child poverty targets. Hearing those numbers about families stuck in temporary accommodation right after spending a night out on a pitch hits differently.
Then came leaving Scotland, heading to Glasgow central train station, and seeing people actually sleeping rough on the streets. Reading a report or listening to a broadcast is one thing, but walking past someone trying to survive the elements outdoors is a brutal reminder. The discomfort of one night in a stadium is a choice. For too many, it is a permanent reality.
Events like Boycott Your Bed raise vital funds for frontline support. More than that, they strip away the comfort and force you to look at a broken system where safe housing is treated like a luxury instead of a basic right.
The photos from Friday capture the laughs, the cold, and the community effort. But the real work starts when the sleeping bags are rolled up and we actually have to deal with what is happening - right outside our front doors….
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