Girls in LIV, MIV and UIV showed their support for homeless people by collecting donations for The Simon Community and Wycombe Winter Night Shelter in early December. Representatives from the Simon Community visited Pipers and spent time with the girls talking to them about the challenges and pressures faced by homeless people.

The Simon Community is a partnership of homeless people and volunteers living and working together to reach out to, support and campaign for people who are homeless or rootless, and particularly those for whom no other provision exists. Together they provide dedicated support 365 days a year to London's street homeless.

Wycombe Winter Night Shelter (WWNS) provides emergency care for local homeless people during the winter months from January to March. It accommodates up to 10 homeless guests nightly, providing not only the essentials of a warm shelter, dinner, bed and breakfast but also friendship and practical support with homelessness and other issues on a regular basis.

It was a wonderful experience for the girls to have their preconceived ideas about homeless people challenged and to hear first-hand how their donations really do make a difference.

Religious Studies Teacher, Mrs Niki Gledhill, said, "Collecting donations to support these charities has been of enormous benefit for our girls. It is through initiatives such as this that young people can really be made aware of how some people, from all backgrounds and often through emotional setbacks, end up on the streets and appreciate what support is needed to help them regain their lives."

**ENDS**

For more information contact:
Fran Knight, Marketing and Communications Manager, Pipers Corner School. Telephone 01494 719 850 or email fknight@piperscorner.co.uk

Photo shows:
Some of the girls presenting the donations to The Simon Community.