British army veteran goes 'homeless' for the day in Berkhamsted to raise awareness of ex-forces homelessness

A British army veteran from Northchurch will be spending the day 'homeless' today (Monday, November 8) to raise awareness of homelessness amongst army veterans.

Ben Morton, a former captain in the British Army – and a veteran of the Gulf war – will be spending the day on the High Street in Berkhamsted to raise awareness of the problem, and raise money for a fundraiser he is doing later this month.

The 42-year-old, from Northchurch, is also taking part in the CEO Sleepout London at Lords Cricket Ground on Monday, November 22, to raise funds for people who have been pulled into homelessness.

The CEO Sleepout is a charity set up to fight homelessness and poverty.

On his fundraising page - Ben Morton CEO Sleepout London at Lord's - he said: "I'll be spending the night under the stars on 22 November with other business and community leaders to raise money for this cause.

"Whilst this cannot compare to what it's like to be homeless, I hope it will at least raise awareness.

"The funds I raise will go specifically to Walking With The Wounded, a charity close to my heart who work with the estimated 6,000 homeless veterans in the UK with accommodation, mental health and addiction recovery support.

"I'll be match-funding every penny that people kindly donate, so please give whatever you can and force me to give more!"

As part of his fundraising Ben, who served five years in the army with two deployments to Iraq, decided to do something extra to raise awareness of homelessness.

He added: "As I started to talk to people about the sleepout, many said something along the lines of ‘…well that will be ok for you. You’re used to being cold and sleeping out, from your time in the army.'

"This led me to thinking that I had to do something extra…hence ‘pretending’ to be homeless for a day on Berkhamsted High Street.

"I plan to sit on the high street from 9am till 5pm, aiming to raise awareness and money for our homeless armed forces veterans."

Ben is hoping to raise £2,000, to support his fundraising visit: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BenMorton7.