Homeless man and his dog endure snow and ice on charity trek

Published by Max Salsbury for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities

A homeless man and his dog have raised almost £3,000 so far during the first three weeks of a six-month trek across the Scottish wilderness.

Wayne Hall and his dog Jerry have suffered snow and sub-zero temperatures on their bid to raise £10,000 for housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland.

The self-employed tiler has been living off the land on his journey, surviving mostly on a diet of fish, berries and edible plants.

He expects to lose 30lbs during the trek, but has admitted he has accepted "the occasional bacon buttie" from people in some of the small villages he has passed through.

“There have been a few mornings when we’ve woken up to find the water bottle and food completely frozen, and that’s inside a good quality tent. I can’t imagine what it’s like for people who have to sleep rough night after night," said Wayne.

The 46-year-old lost his home of nine years after his landlord died and the property was inherited and sold.

Shocked at how quickly he went from living a secure and stable life to facing homelessness, he decided to raise awareness and funds for Shelter Scotland.

“There are so many homeless people and families who simply don’t have a choice about sleeping in cold, damp housing for months and even years on end. I’m really proud to have raised almost £3,000, but there’s a long road ahead before I reach my £10,000 target,” added Wayne.

Gordon MacRae, from Shelter Scotland, said: “We’ve been keeping a close eye on Wayne’s blog and we’re delighted that he’s managed to raise so much money in such a short space of time. £3,000 is enough to help us to answer 300 phone calls to our free national helpline from families and individuals on the brink of homelessness or facing damp, cold and dangerous living conditions.

“Without the generosity and support of people like Wayne – and everyone who has helped him raise £3,000 - our work to end Scotland’s housing crisis for good would be much harder."

Wayne and Jerry’s trip started at Loch Morar in the Highlands on February 25.

The pair will travel across Scotland, stopping at 25 lochs on the way, and will complete the expedition on Wayne’s 47th birthday at Galloway Forest Park on August 27.