W. Bro. Scott Norris ProvGMen, PProvGSwdB
Homeless Veterans Challenge (physical and emotional)
In association with the Rawthey Project
4 days and 3 nights – Cumberland & Westmorland Freemasons
Friday 6 February
I left Wigton Masonic Hall at 09.30hrs.
With a daily allowance of £5, I bought a small loaf of white bread and a jar of peanut butter for carbs and protein and this was what I ate for staple food for 3 days. I also bought two small bottles of flavoured water for 49p each. During my walking, I managed to get my water bottles filled for free at various places. Because I had underspent my budget, I was able to treat myself to some chips at Maryport the next day and a take-away cup of hot tea. At the end of the 3 days, I had money left over, although this was largely because things did not go as planned on the Sunday night!
I walked from Wigton to Silloth on the back country lanes – circa 14 miles or so and arrived in Silloth in the rain late pm on the Friday. It rained on and off all day.
I had planned to sleep in the sand dunes off the golf course, although the weather was really miserable; raining and cold.
A local dog walker told me about a golf shelter on the golf course which the golfers use to shelter from the rain and so I walked to check this out.
I found it eventually and I overnighted with little to no sleep in this golf shelter, largely undisturbed apart from owls screeching outside. It was open at the front, but at least it had some sides and a roof. There was a pile of used beer cans dumped from whoever had been there previously. As I was packing up to leave the following morning, the greenkeeper looked strangely at me, but he did not say anything. With the wind chill, it was near to freezing during the night. A few holes in the roof meant I was dripped on. With no phone, heating, company, it was a long night of around 13 hours or so.
Saturday 7 February
I left Silloth at 09.00hrs after a hot cup of tea from the local post office. Disposable take away cups are better, as you get more!
It took me all day to walk down the coast to Maryport. 15 miles or so and mostly against the wind. A bright day, a little drizzle, but windy.
I bought some sweets from Allonby for £2.
It seemed like a long trek down to Maryport. Two days solid walking on hard roads/paths. 29 miles or so. The soles of my feet and my legs were aching. I was walking slower. Each time I stopped, it took longer to get going again. The last couple of miles into Maryport were painful.
I found a blue concrete shelter on the promenade between Maryport golf course and the town. It was entirely open at the front. I overnighted in this. As it gets dark between 5-6pm, these are long nights until it gets light again at around 7.45am. in any event, I was subject to a 6pm curfew each night and until 6am in the mornings.
After I was in my sleeping bag, people were still about outside and shining their torches into the shelter. A man ran in at 1am and frightened the living daylights out of me and he was obviously surprised to see me lying on the floor; he said sorry and left as fast as he had arrived. At around 7.30am, I was visited by a rat which kept coming in and out. I just watched it. I had some rope and so I had tied my backpack and boots to the bench so they did not get stolen. Imagine trying to walk with no boots. The shelter was dirty with old discarded tissues and some rubbish; not a nice place to live on the floor in. I felt vulnerable; lying there in the dark with no protection. My arms inside the sleeping back to keep warm; no way of quickly reacting to defend myself should I have needed to. Homeless people must feel like this all the time.
Sunday 8 February
I left Maryport at 08.30hrs after a hot cup of tea at the Aquarium. It was raining. I walked in the rain.
I met a fellow Freemason en-route to Workington; I\’ve known him for 20 years; he was walking his dog. I knew his first name and yet I could not remember his surname; I had to ask him.
Due to overall fatigue through the miles of hard walking and carrying a heavy pack and just about no sleep for two long nights, I had discovered my memory was not working properly, which is very unusual for me.
It took me until around 2pm to walk down the coast to Workington. 7 miles or so and mostly against the wind and rain.
I had been told by my probation officer to report to a bingo hall at 6pm and meet the probation manager. I was given a name.
I spent a while late pm wandering around Workington assessing various places to sleep overnight. Shelter; some protection from the rain etc. There were several options; none of them great.
I entered the bingo hall at 6pm and met the man who gave me a bag containing a drink and some food; he also offered to get me a hot drink of tea and did so.
Another man then arrived in plain clothes who told me he was a Police Officer – I was then symbolically arrested and taken into custody for breach of licence conditions and taken to Workington Police Sation (AKA Workington Masonic Hall). I was booked in by the Custody Sergeant and placed in a cell for the night. I was also told I could be further arrested and dealt with for stealing the bag containing a drink and food that I\’d been given by the man at the bingo hall. I was subjected to sleep deprivation due to what sounded like an event going on upstairs and then I was woken up at 3am and had to transfer cells for some reason. The second cell had a toilet in it with a dripping cistern and so I could not sleep due to the constant dripping sound.
Monday 9 February
I was woken up just before 8am and eventually given a hot cup of tea and a bacon roll and then taken upstairs and charged with the theft of the bag containing a drink and food that I\’d been given by the man at the bingo hall. I was then put before the Magistrates\’ Court at 9am. The Police and Probation staff and a bunch of on-lookers were there. Probation accepted because I had no mobile phone, it was obvious I could not always report in as often as they wanted me to and so this matter of a breach of my licence condition was dropped. I pleaded Not Guilty to the theft and the matter was adjourned for trial in 4 weeks. I asked my legal counsel to contact the bingo hall and have the CCTV footage preserved as evidence I did not steal anything.
I was tired.
Probation
From Friday to Sunday inc, I was subjected to numerous unreasonable demands from my probation officer.
Given I had no mobile phone and there are little to no phone boxes nowadays and people generally don\’t want to lend a homeless person their expensive mobile phone so they can phone their probation officer! (implies criminal background), I was told I was subject to a curfew from 6pm, I could not travel on public transport or take a shared lift in private transport and I had to call my probation officer before certain times and then the office doesn\’t open until certain times and also a whole myriad of licence conditions and unreasonable demands communicated out to me (who\’s on the road) from a behind the desk person. Download an app, open an account; computer work. I have never been taught to use a computer; In the Army, I was in the Riffles. Probation clearly have a mistaken belief that all veterans can operate a computer just like they can. I wonder if I asked my probation officer to pick up, break down, clean and reassemble an SA80 A2 rifle, would he be able to?
Final
At home last night, I slept for 13 hours.
