Students take part in Unseen Tours

On February 3rd a group of students from A Level Citizenship, Sociology and Government and Politics went to Mayfair to view London from the perspective of the homeless as part of the Unseen Tours organisation.

In the freezing cold, the group walked around one of the most affluent areas of London to learn about its hidden community and finding out what living on the streets means.

Their guide, Vincent, spent three years on the streets despite the fact that in his past, he had worked as a chef in some of the most expensive areas of London.Vincent explained that from losing his job it was a matter of weeks before he ended up on the streets, and how drugs took hold, and the spiral of hopelessness that this led to.

At the end of the tour the students asked a variety of questions, from how he survived on the streets to what he thinks the Olympics will mean for the homeless. Vincent answered these with complete honesty and then explained how he got off the streets and is rebuilding his life.

By the end of the trip the students were numb from the cold and were very aware of how thousands of people spend their days and nights outside.

To find out more about Unseen Tours visit http://sockmobevents.org.uk/