A North East man has been sleeping rough for two nights to raise funding and awareness for military veterans who are homeless.
Scott Longworth, from Birtley, started off on his venture on Friday morning in Washington, accompanied by his best friend Steven Robson and his brother, Dan Longworth.
The trio spent the day voicing their mission to people in Albany, Washington Village and Concord before spending the night under a bridge by the River Wear equipped with sleeping bags.
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They then set off for Sunderland city centre on Saturday morning, where they continued to raise vital funds for homeless veterans for the rest of the day - before spending another freezing cold night under the stars.
As an ex-infantryman himself, who completed tours of Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 2000s - Scott acknowledged the purpose behind the campaign is very close to his heart.
Speaking to Chronicle Live while walking to Sunderland on foot, the 41-year-old said: "I did three operational tours, two of Iraq and one of Afghanistan and I mean they were rough.
"Especially Afghanistan, we had 19 kills in our squad."
He added: "We're actually doing this for homeless veterans, there's over 6,000 homeless veterans on the streets.
"I'm an army veteran myself, I was ten and a half years in the army so this is quite close to my heart."
And Scott also revealed that he did the same campaign last year, Covid restrictions allowing, where he also raised money for those in need across the United Kingdom.
He continued: "I done it last year with Covid restrictions. I done 17 nights sleeping in my garden and in various shelters and stuff like that.
"This year obviously as we're Covid-free, I wanted to do it homeless and spending a couple of nights rough on the streets.
"I'm currently with one of my best friends, I've known him for 26 years, and my younger brother is with us."
The trio have currently raised over £600 on various platforms, collectively via donation buckets they are carrying with them as well as sponsorship schemes from work and fundraising websites.
The Hideaway Cafe in Washington are also involved in the campaign itself, selling prints for £10 each displaying Tommy Soldiers with Union Jack flags on them - with all proceeds going to the cause.
And Scott's mission is also part of a wider campaign across the nation, in which people from multiple regions are also taking part to raise crucial funding for those who are vulnerable.
The campaign entitled The Great Tommy Sleepout 2022 sees a mix of fellow ex-servicemen and women as well as concerned members of the public all taking to the streets to put themselves in the shoes of homeless vets.
They planned to spend their second night at the Stadium of Light, under some form of shelter to keep them safe from the elements.
Scott added: "One of my old Bugle Majors has an office in the Foundation of Light.
"He'll take us into the Foundation of Light and get us warmed up, full English breakfast, tea and coffee and then we'll be walking back to Washington."
He continued: "I drive and my friend drives, but the homeless don't have cars so why should we? We're walking five or six miles."
Those wanting to donate directly to Scott's cause through the internet can do so, here.
