Whilst most people enjoyed a cosy sleep tucked away in their beds, the Hurricane Explorer group could only dream of this luxury as they endured a sleepless night in cardboard boxes.  

The Hurricane Explorer group is made up of 11 teenagers who meet on a weekly basis in the local Bexley Scouts and Guides Hut. Run by Steven Metcalfe and Rick Larnder, the group are open to many amazing opportunities, such as a wide variety of scouting conventions and camps. They are also able to participate in different activities in order to achieve and collect different badges.

The group have just finished completing their global issues badge, which involved carrying out research into third-world countries and the poor conditions that children are forced to live in. The badge also required the explorers to live off of two pounds worth of food over the course of 3 days. However, the ultimate task was sleeping in cardboard boxes overnight in order to appreciate and understand the difficult lives that some people are forced to live out on the streets.

On February 10th, one of the coldest days of the year, we took on the challenge and prepared to battle the brutal weather – snow. Luckily, we were inside, but whilst it wasn’t wet, it was still freezing!

We each got given big boxes of cardboard and had the task of building ourselves a shelter for the night, which, without tape, is more difficult than you might think!  After we had constructed our cardboard houses, we settled in as best as we could, beginning the restless night that lay ahead of us.

Melissa Eveson, 15, an explorer who has been part of the Hurricane group for 2 years says, ‘I found it really cold and uncomfortable, and we even had the scout hut to keep out the weather! It must be so hard for the homeless to survive the harsh winter weather and I can’t begin to imagine how difficult their lives must be. However, I think it was a great opportunity because I was able to experience, for a night, what it would be like to live without the privileges and luxuries we have.’

The challenge certainly opened our eyes to the difficult lives which the homeless lead and it also allowed us to realise that things that may seem small to us, like a warm bed to sleep in, should not be taken for granted.

Grace Flowers - Young Reporter