From High Heels to Homeless

Helen Pick is the epitome of glamour; she owns two boutiques, loves clothes, shoes, having her hair and nails done and enjoys life in Pontyclun with her husband and sons. However, Helen has just had an experience she will never forget — an emotional journey that has changed her life for good.

On the 7th May 2016, dressed in high heels and armed with balloons, banners, collection buckets and 100 cheese and ham rolls, Helen and three friends: Shirley, Anne and Leslie set out to sleep rough for one night on the streets of Cardiff to raise money for the city’s homeless. When asked why she decided to do this she explained:

“Because of my comfortable lifestyle I knew, in the nicest possible way, that there would be a lot of people that would like to see me on the streets and many people who would think that I couldn’t or wouldn’t do it — so I asked them to put their money where their mouth is!”

The girls decided on the date in early May as they wanted to experience the streets in more difficult conditions and not in the summer months that were likely to be a lot more comfortable for them. As luck (or lack of it!) would have it, the chosen date produced torrential rain and thunderstorms for most of the night and conditions were anything but ideal:

“I’ve never been so wet, cold and uncomfortable in my life, people were horrible and really looked down at us, it was a terrible position to be in.”

The girls surprisingly received a frosty reception from many members of the public, with one lady and her nine-year-old son branding them “disgusting” and security guards kicking them awake to move them on.

“What people don’t understand is that homelessness could happen to anyone. The people we met on the streets were wonderful and not dissimilar to ourselves. We met a businessman who had faced bankruptcy, a man who lost his mother and the home they were living in and a 17-year-old boy who had no-where to go and no-one to turn to. As the saying goes: we are all just one pay cheque away from the same situation.”

Although cold, wet and frightened the three girls managed to get a little sleep and lasted until 7am when they went to a local hotel to shower, change and recover from the same ordeal that many people face every night.

When reflecting on her experience Helen got quite emotional about those still left in the conditions they endured that night:

“I just can’t believe there are still people out there living like that, if I could have brought them all home with me I would have. The experience knocked me for six but I’m so glad we did it; I now appreciate so much more what I have got.”

The three brave ladies have so far raised nearly £700 for their cause and mean to keep going.

Helen has continued with her campaigning and has gone on to arrange meetings with local councillors to discuss the possibility of starting up an apprentice scheme for homeless people amongst local businesses to give them a chance to get off the streets. She is also holding a fundraising event on 4th November to raise money for the Huggard homeless shelter. For further details about this event and how to get tickets, please see below.

The future looks certain to hold more fundraising for Helen who hopes to retire in a few years and take up her charity work full time:

“If I can help just one person get off the streets and change their life then my work here is done.”

How to Donate:

To donate please visit Helen’s Just Giving Page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Helen-Pick1

Fundraising Dinner:

Tickets £39.99 per person 4th November 7:30pm – 12:30am at Decorsey’s hotel. Price includes a three-course meal and entertainment. All proceeds to go to the Huggard Homeless Shelter. Please call 07973463460 to book a table (only a few remaining).