ROUGH sleeper will be able to find a warm bed for the night after a charity has pledged to open a shelter in Wokingham for the first time.

The Winter Night Shelter, dedicated to Wokingham's homeless population, will be officially opened on New year's day 2020.

It will be based across seven local church halls in the town, providing a safe, warm bed and hot meals for those most in need in the winter months.

The church-hall scheme will be managed by Bracknell-based homeless charity the Pilgrim Hearts Trust, spanning from January 1 to February 29.

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The Trust has been running winter homeless shelters in Bracknell for five years, and have now decided to expand into Wokingham also.

In light of this announcement, various community figures in local businesses have already offered to help those who need it, such as a hairdresser and a podiatrist, as well as laundry facilities and showers, provided by the Salvation Army.

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Pilgrim Hearts Trust director Elaine Chalmers-Brown claimed the actual number of homeless in Wokingham is a lot higher than the official figures.

She said: "The count of rough sleepers is only done on one night a year so it is not reflection of the true numbers. Also, many homeless are sleeping on sofas of friends: so called 'Sofa Surfing'.

"This is not a real home and its far from what is needed. That’s why Pilgrim Hearts Trust know of many more homeless than the official figures suggest."

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The church halls that have agreed to be involved in the scheme are Norreys Church, All Saints Parish Church, Kings Church, Corpus Christi catholic church, the Salvation Army, the Methodist Church and Wokingham Baptist Church.

For more information on the scheme CLICK HERE.