Leeds boy, 13, praised for two years of fundraising by sleeping in tent

Andy (right), who used to be homeless, said Billy (left) had a "heart of gold" for his fundraising efforts

A teenager who has slept in a tent at night for almost two years has been praised by the homelessness charity for which he has been raising money.

Billy, 13, from Pudsey, has raised £3,000 for Emmaus Leeds by sleeping in a tent in his garden since June 2022.

The Emmaus community, whose members are working their way out of homelessness, said they wanted to thank him.

Andy, 62, who used to be homeless, said: "There should be more people in the world like Billy."

The teenager said he started sleeping outside to prove a point, after his parents complained he was not making use of a tent he had received for his 12th birthday.

After finding it "quite nice", he said: "I did it again and again and it just continued for over a year."

He said he then decided to combine it with helping people in need.

"My parents suggested I could raise money and I thought it was a great idea, so I chose the homeless charity Emmaus because it offers continuous support."

Billy, pictured in 2023, started sleeping outside overnight in his tent in June 2022

Impressed with his fundraising achievements, Emmaus Leeds recently organised a meeting with Andy, 62, who had been helped by the charity.

Andy, who is originally from Brighton, had found himself homeless after a divorce.

He said he had sunk into depression, spent all his money and found himself sleeping in a tent on the South Downs for two years.

"One day, I woke up with ice on my sleeping bag, freezing cold, and I said to myself, this has got to stop."

He said after having come to Leeds and finding the Emmaus community, "I haven't looked back".

"If it wasn't for the charity, I think I would have died of hypothermia," he added.

After meeting Billy and hearing about his fundraising challenge, Andy said: "There should be more people in the world like Billy."

Andy gave Billy a tour of the charity's building in Leeds and and they both shared stories of sleeping out in a tent in bad weather.

He said the 13-year-old had "a heart of gold" for thinking about rough sleepers.

Meanwhile, Billy said it was inspiring to see what his fundraising money had been put towards.

Asked how it felt to have raised so much money, Billy said: "Amazing, and most of it has been from people I don't know but who want to help me."

Billy said he felt encouraged after meeting Andy and the Emmaus team and was determined to continue sleeping outside for another year to raise more money.

He said: "I just want to be a good person. It makes me feel happy to know they might not feel so alone when they come here and get support."

Andy, 62, said he would have "died of hypothermia" if it wasn't for the charity which Billy was raising money for