Last weekend, local Plasterer Jon Durrant volunteered in Bristol to help Sleep Pod build emergency shelters for people who are homeless. Over the weekend, 288 Pods were built which will be distributed this time in Bristol and elsewhere.

Sleep Pods are made from foil insulation and self-warming. Just from body heat, they can maintain a temperature of +6°C inside when it is -16°C outside! They are both rainproof and windproof and are quick and easy to use, as well as being lightweight, and easy to pack and carry.

Jon said: “With the cold and wet days we have at the moment the Pods will help reduce the physical suffering for those people unfortunate enough to have to sleep on the streets. Wet clothes and cold conditions, with no where to get warm and dry, causes hypothermia, which can set in within an hour or so, and if not treated can be fatal.

“There was an estimated 2,688 people rough sleeping on a single night in autumn 2020 in England, double that in 2010 (source: https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/how-many-people-are-homeless-in-the-uk-and-what-can-you-do-about-it/) and the average age at death of a rough sleeper is just 43 years old.

“Sleep Pods are obviously not the solution to homelessness that I would like, but whilst people like me campaign for the end of rough sleeping, these pods will offer a small degree of privacy, security, comfort and may even save lives this winter.”

Each Pod costs around £30 in materials to make and are made and distributed by volunteers.

Readers can find out more about Sleep Pod on their social media pages and on their website https://sleeppod.org.uk/ and can donate towards the cost of the materials for a pod.