ExCo
For years, I’ve tried to help the homeless in any way I can, but everything changed the day I saw a close friend — an ex-soldier — now living on the streets. It hit me hard. I went home that night and wrote a song, using music as my way of raising awareness for people who have served their country and still end up with nowhere to go. That song became the spark for something much bigger than I ever expected.
With Christmas approaching, I felt it was the right time to finally act on an idea I’d held onto for years: bringing the community of Milton Keynes together to directly support those sleeping rough. A couple of weeks ago, I spent a night walking the streets with my dog to understand a fraction of what they face daily. I posted a clip to raise awareness, and from that moment, everything began to grow.
Since then, I’ve been out every day speaking with rough sleepers, checking in on them, finding out what they personally need, and letting them know about the event taking place this Saturday. Local support has been incredible. My friend Ryan reached out after seeing what I was doing and asked to get involved. Since then, he has been a huge help — from cooking food to helping source donations and joining me in handing out meals to those on the streets.
We’ve received generous support from the community and local businesses, with donations including hot meals, warm clothing, sleeping bags, gloves, hats, tents, and more. Barnardo’s in Willen also stepped up by allowing us to collect winter clothes directly from their rack, which will make a huge difference to people in need.
This Saturday at 1pm, outside The Point in Central Milton Keynes, we’ll be bringing all of these donations together and handing them out directly to the homeless community. I’ll also be performing the song I wrote — not as a promotion, but as the reason all of this came together, and as a way to encourage people passing by to donate into the bucket so we can continue this support beyond just one day. For anyone who can’t make it, a GoFundMe has been set up so people can still contribute.
What started as a small idea has now grown into something much bigger. It’s shown me just how powerful Milton Keynes can be when people come together with compassion. Saturday’s event will also be filmed by my filmmaker and a local studio who have offered their support, helping document the day and the stories we encounter, with plans to develop the footage into a future documentary about homelessness in our city.
This isn’t just an event — it’s a reminder that even one person taking action can inspire an entire community to make real change.
Thanks
Tyler