Luke received a letter recently from Grace telling him all about her campaign to end homelessness in the UK. As well as volunteering for Plymouth Soup Run, she has been busy encouraging friends to donate clothing and other items for this cause.
Grace has also been using her creativity to raise awareness. She sent Luke a creative poster that includes a playlist of songs relating to social issues. Starting with Streets of London by Ralph McTell, she said each track was chosen ‘to make you think about the unfairness of homelessness’.
Luke Pollard MP said:
“I was very impressed by Grace’s work for vulnerable people in our community at such a young age. I wanted to say a big thank you for her volunteering efforts so went to meet Grace and her mum. We discussed how far more needs to be done up and down the country to support people currently experiencing homelessness. Grace’s playlist of songs is a great way of raising awareness about homelessness.”
11-year-old campaigner Grace Chapman said:
“I have always been worried about homelessness and wanted to make a difference. I listened to lots of different songs to create my playlist and the songs I chose really made me think about the people on the streets and how I would feel if I was homeless.
“It was great to meet Luke and he was very kind and interested in what I had to say. It was amazing to know that he had read my letter and wanted to help the homeless too.
“I was really sad when he said that the government only counts homelessness as people sleeping on the streets, but I know that there are many more people who might have shelter but do not have a home and this makes me upset and angry, and like I want to do something to help.”