‘Homeless’ Fundraiser Says Thank You

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.