Haywards Heath boy, 12, trades his advent calendar for helping the homeless

Ben Fernley, 12, of Rocky Lane, Haywards Heath, hated the thought of people being cold and sleeping on the streets this winter, so he took it upon himself to do a reverse advent calendar.

Instead of having his daily chocolate treat from his advent calendar each day in December, he donated something to the homeless.

Ben, who goes to Warden Park Secondary Academy, managed to collect a variety of items, such as brand new socks, boxer shorts and hats – along with a £160 donation from his family.

He also made personalised mugs and sold them to raise funds for items.

The items and money were donated to Knight Support, a homeless charity based in Brighton.

Ben said: “Seeing homeless people makes me sad and I want to help.

“I don’t like the thought of them being cold – and it could happen to any of us.”

Ben said when Knight Support came to collect the items he felt ‘really happy’. It is the second year in a row he has collected for the homeless.

“I want to carry on doing it every year,” Ben added.

He thanked everyone for their kind donations – and his mum and dad for helping him.

His proud mum, Toni, said: “Me and Steve are immensely proud of him. Ben has always been very kind and generous – he always thinks about everyone else.

“When he was little he used to give toys away.

“He has a very kind soul. His grandad, Ben Ross, was the same. He was a doctor in Burgess Hill for years. Ben was named after him.”

Toni said she hopes Ben’s story will inspire others to do the same.

“If a 12-year-old can be kind like this, everyone can,” she added.

A spokesman for Knight Support said: “We can not even put into words what a difference Ben’s help will mean to people sleeping on our streets.

“Ben’s donation was extremely well thought through, it included so many items a rough sleeper really does need.

“The financial donation of £160 from Ben’s family will also go a long way to helping us buy emergency survival and sleeping bags this winter.

“Knight Support would like to thank everyone in Mid Sussex who has taken time to support our homeless people in Brighton throughout the last three years.”

Knight Support is run by volunteers. It relies on financial donations and donations of new items.

The spokesman added: “Homelessness is not just a problem at Christmas, your community spirit in Mid Sussex year round is just wonderful and has made a huge difference to 100’s of homeless people in need.”

To find out more about Knight Support, visit: Facebook.com/KnightSupport.