Back to page

Team Black goes Two Weeks Without

  • Half Way There

      10 March 2015
    Main image

    So we are now halfway through this challenge and i can say that it is definitely taking its toll on me now. The update on the fort is that it is now non existent as a result of the continual falling on my head that it caused, instead of showing you what it is now i will show a picture of it in its prime. Currently on my two pillows and duvets I am feeling very sorry for myself but it is an incredible eye opener to see how even such a simple thing as a bed is taken for granted. People are going without even something comfortable to lie on, let alone blankets to keep them warm and that is something that i will definitely not forget about this. Its an incredibly sobering thought that people from all ages are out there every night desperate for warmth and comfort while I am only spending two weeks attempting to imitate even a small amount of their troubles. To know that we are going to provide these people with any assistance at all from this however, is an incredible feeling and I am ecstatic that we've already raised over $300 dollars for Help for the Homeless. So in hopes to raise even more for these people, I think i can speak for all of Team Black when I say that we will finish this thing strongly and with pride that we know that someone else out there will sleep a little more comfortably very soon.

    -Connor

      0 comments  |  Login to leave a comment

  • 5 nights in...Attack of the Fresher Flu!!

      4 March 2015
    Main image

    5 nights in, after hearing of Harry's escapades, i made sure to add some extra blankets to my sleeping arrangements. Because the majority of the floorspace is a walkway, between my permament wall heater and bolted-to-the-wall study desk was the only place to put myself. Learning the fine art of not wacking my head an the desk leg, or the heater, or the desk itself i would reserve for only masters of floor sleeping. Sleeping seems to be relative when you're on the floor, as the Fresher Flu struck and struck hard.

    That whole "prop yourself up on two pillows" high on a normal bed? Never taking that advice lightly again. The cold ruled my night as the amount of time clearing my sinus' and coughing and spluttering kept sleep annoyingly at bay. One thought that passed through my head during my sleeplessness was just how much worse it is for the homeless. How can they rug up warm when they get sick? how stuffed up must they get sleeping on cold ground? As grumpy as i was in the morning, a new appreciation had formed for the life that they dont get to have. Only 5 days have passed and i already can't wait for the night back on my real bed, dear god i bet it will be soft! For now though, keeping the head knocks down to a minimum is my goal on the floor. Au revoir till next time :D -Hirini

      1 comment  |  Login to leave a comment

    • 05/03/2015 by Help for the Homeless Christchurch

      Well done being sick is never easy and esp in rough conditions I imagine. But here's something to think of . . . . Last winter I took a photographer around from spot to spot where our locals (Homeless) we're sleeping. As we stopped at the now demolished doc shed opposite Latimer there was a group of youth and up sleeping in there. Aged between 14-30 they had managed to drag some old tattered mattresses in there for some comfort and had plenty of bedding care of us at HFTH. It was a 3 sided shed with tin walls that didn't touch the ground! That night it wouldn't have been much more than 7 degrees. As I was leaving one of them after much coughing and blowing of the nose asked for panadol. I raced up to the servo purchased panadol, a drink and some cough lollies. I took them back to them, jumped in my car and drove off. Seconds down the road I swear I heard a snap, It was my heart breaking, I had to pull over and cried my eyes out :'( . . .How is it that this is how life is for so many, how come no body else see's this, how come my house isn't a castle to cater for the ones that need it most??? I struggled not to turn back but I knew I was already pushed for space in my own home and felt slight comfort that I was helping in so many ways with so many. So THANK YOU ALL for HELPING too, you'll be in a nice comfy warm bed soon enough so Kia Kaha. Amy Burke Founder of Help for the Homeless, Christchurch xx

  • Harry's First Night of the No Bed Adventure

      2 March 2015
    Main image

    So Friday the 27th of February marked the first night of bedlessness and what a night it was. I decided to go with the tactic of sleeping directly on the floor with a thin blanket for warmth and no pillow, with the reasoning that, if a homeless person can spend a cold night on a park bench with little more than the clothes on their back, then 14 nights on a carpeted floor, inside, with a blanket should be a cakewalk. Oh how wrong was I. The subsequent sleep was, without exaggeration, the worst I have ever had in my life. For the 7 hours that I lay on the floor I probably accumulated around 2 hours of solid sleep, a numb neck and a ripping headache. I can't even begin to comprehend the actual struggle of sleeping in a worse state day to day, as many homeless people do. But at least now I have a small understanding of what sleeping on a solid surface is like. Since my woeful first night, I have changed up my sleeping arrangements a bit, I've laid a blanket on the ground and added a pillow, to add a bit of cushion (while not taking away all the discomfort, so I still have the novelty of a bad sleep). Even now, only a couple of days into bedlessness I can't wait till my first night back in my beautiful, soft king single. But for now, it's back to floor! -Harry

      1 comment  |  Login to leave a comment

    • 04/03/2015 by Help for the Homeless Christchurch

      Way to go team you guys are doing a great job!! :-) Amy x