Vicky Pattison sleeps rough to raise awareness about homeless young people

ok.co.uk:

Vicky Pattison has woken up after spending the night in a tiny tent at the Chelsea Flower Show to raise awareness about homeless young people.

The Geordie Shore star, 35, is an ambassador for the Centrepoint charity, which supports young homeless people, and ditched her home comforts for the night to sleep outdoors in a tiny orange tent. "I won't insult those who are forced to sleep rough by suggesting that by sleeping outside for one night I have any idea about what they experience," Vicky said. "The Sleep Out does not set out to replicate what it's like to sleep rough but gives an idea of the isolating situation a lot of young people find themselves in, while also supporting those who face this as a reality." Vicky, who has spoken openly about her difficult childhood growing up with an alcoholic dad, pointed out the garden has purposely been designed to look different to the normal flower-filled showcases, saying: "This garden is not intended to be pretty but then neither is youth homelessness." The TV personality has been working with Centrepoint for around six years and seems more than happy to get her hands dirty to raise awareness about its work helping some of the hundreds of thousands of youngsters who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Speaking before the camp out, she said: "Last year across the UK 129,000 young people were homeless or at risk of homelessness. "These figures speak for themselves.The heart-breaking threat of homelessness is a very sobering reality for so many young people but Centerpoint UK is doing everything they can to make a difference.The service they provide is invaluable.