Monty is proud to be supporting St Mungo's 'Take the lead' challenge.

In these recent difficult times most of us have had to spend more time at home isolating or working from home. This has been a challenging time for many but imagine how it would be if you were homeless and had the added worry of trying to stay with your beloved dog.

A dog can often feel like the only companion for someone sleeping on the streets. They provide solace and comfort during what can be an extremely difficult time.

As one of the leading homelessness charities in England to accept pets into their hostels, St Mungo’s recognise the hugely powerful and emotional support that animals can bring to someone who is sleeping on the streets. During this coronavirus, many people have valued the companionship and support of their pets at a time of increased loneliness and isolation.

Most recently, St Mungo’s teams have been working round the clock to support vulnerable rough sleepers out of hotels, where they have been self-isolating during the pandemic, and into permanent accommodation. So far, more than 300 people have been helped to move in to longer term accommodation, with more being supported by the charity every single day and this is just one of the many wonderful projects that your fundraising efforts will go towards helping.

In a time of national emergency, St Mungo’s has played a leading part in coordinating the response to help those rough sleeping inside and self-isolating. Thousands of people are now off the streets and self-isolating and now we need your help to ensure we can capitalise on this ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to ensure no one has to go back to the streets.

We are challenging our supporters to ‘Take The Lead’ by teaming up with their dog in a pledge to walk the marathon distance (26.2 miles) in a month, contributing to a group target of 4,266 miles – one for every person found rough sleeping in England last year. In partnership with Lily’s Kitchen, each dog will receive a goody bag on completion of the challenge. Just follow the link below for more information or to sign up to this very worthy initiative.

https://takethelead.mungos.org/.