‘Homeless’ Fundraiser Says Thank You

Living Magazines Ben Morton Homeless Fundraiser

Northchurch resident Ben Morton contacted Berkhamsted Living because he wanted to say thank you to the townsfolk for their generosity.

Ben is a former captain in the British Army and a Gulf War veteran. He now runs Ben Morton Leadership, as a  leadership mentor and performance coach.

At the end of last year, Ben spent a day sitting in Berkhamsted High Street pretending to be homeless in a bid to raise awareness and money for the 6,000 or so armed forces veterans who sleep rough in the UK.

Ben said: ‘I want to say a huge thank you to all of the residents of Berkhamsted for their generosity and donations,  and equally to all those people who stopped to have a chat with me. It was pretty lonely at times – even though I was only pretending to be homeless for one day, I felt really self-conscious, so every time someone stopped to engage  with me it meant so much.

‘There was a little boy of six or seven who came up to me and said “my name’s Archie, do you want to be my friend?’’  It was such a lovely moment.’

Ben has handed over £6,000 to Walking with the Wounded, via CEO Sleepout, having matched donations penny for penny from his own business.