With four jumpers, three trousers, two scarves, one dressing gown and three pairs of socks, Ana Fernandes could still feel the chilly temperature of minus degrees as she took on the Threshold SleepOut Challenge for the fourth year in a row in Swindon. The constant thought in her mind was how homeless people survive the cold as she took two days to recover from the cold. Ana Fernandes, originally from Cansaulim and married in Agassaim, is a known figure in the community in Swindon, UK. She has been participating in the Threshold SleepOut Challenge since 2019 and is the only Goan who has been consistently been a participant supporting the annual sleep-out challenge.
“Threshold SleepOut Challenge was held at Supermarine Sports and Social Club, Swindon and it started at 8 pm and continued through the night and ended early morning at 5.30 am when we were served nice hot breakfast. This was my 4th year sleep out challenge. My aim is to continue every year,” says Ana, who was joined by Juliet Gomes also living in Swindon, who participated for the second year in the challenge.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
“The scale of homelessness is a notoriously difficult thing to quantify but there are over thousands of people affected by it today. There are many different types of homelessness. For starters; it’s not just rough sleeping, there are people trapped in temporary accommodation or hostels and shelters. And it is not always a visible problem either. Hidden homelessness, also known as sofa surfing, is virtually impossible to count as people staying at friends or relatives homes are out of sight and often don’t consider themselves to be homeless,” explains Ana.
Starting in 2019, Ana participated in the Threshold SleepOut Challenge with her then 16 year old son, Hamilton Gonsalves, Councillor Imtiyaz Shaikh and Nigel Viegas. In 2020, a tough year due to Covid-19, they has to form a group of six people only in one bubble. Ana formed a bibble with Cynara Monteiro and Elizabeth Fernandes. In 2021, she had the company of Juliet Gomes, a resident of Bambolim, Councillor Imtiyaz Shaikh, Malika Pinto and Lourdes De Oliveira. This year, however, she noticed a sudden drop in participants and she was alone until she contacted Juliet to give her company. Juliet works as a civil enforcement officer (traffic warden).
“I’m proud to have supported our Swindon based charity, Threshold, at their annual sleep-out challenge. I was able to raise nearly £350 through donations. I used to raise over £1000 every year but this year it was difficult, due to rise in living cost and other problems that people are facing at present,” says Ana.
Speaking about her experience at the SleepOut, Ana explains, “I can’t begin to think how people survive the hard bitter winter cold and storms while sleeping with minimal items to protect them. The night was cold, rainy and combined with dense heavy fog and it was hard in temperatures varying between 0 to 4 degrees.”
She further adds, “Our Swindon Goan Volunteer group was also present on the day with volunteers to serve hot meals in buffet service that was homemade by our Goan Community in Swindon, who donated dinner and snacks for the volunteers and participants. It’s a challenge that needs to be tackled head on and I’m proud to represent the Goan Community in Swindon, making an effort to help wider communities and work for charities all over UK.”
Ana Fernandes a resident of Swindon for twenty years and lives in UK along with her husband, Francisco Gonsalves, daughter and son. She has been working for NHS for nine years and is currently a T assistant practitioner at GP surgery, Swindon Wiltshire. She has been very helpful for Goan patients at the medical centre, especially those who approach her with their problems.
As the cost of living has increased across the globe, people living in UK too are feeling the heat of inflation. During the pandemic, families lost their loved ones and their livelihood too. If the number of homeless has increased now, the pockets of donors have also got tighter. Ana explains that besides the rent, groceries and bills, it is hard for many families, especially those who are dependent on another. “I have not come across Goans who are homeless but there are many people from UK and other countries, who have lost their jobs and can’t find accommodation. However, I know Goan families with single mothers who are finding it hard to make ends meet. Since Covid-19, I have been distributing groceries to single moms and friends in need. I will be distributing for this Christmas too. If someone is suffering from any life threatening illness, a person has to give up their job to look after them and cannot earn anything to keep up with the bills. It is even more difficult to find jobs if you are in the country for less than three years and you don’t receive any benefits too,” says Ana.
She was recently awarded a Special Recognition MTM Award for her services to local charity work, both in Swindon and abroad. Swindon has a large Goan population roughly around 20,000 and Ana wanted to make a difference in that community with her charity work. How are the funds raised through the Threshold SleepOut Challenge utilized? She replies, “Threshold Housing Link is an independent charity that aims to prevent and positively tackle homelessness in Swindon. The charity is for single homeless people providing quality caring services and supportive hostel accommodation with resettlement programmes. There are separate rooms for men and women and they are even served meals. However, there is a limit of people they can take in because of the space so as soon as one person is financially able to get accommodation, they leave the hostel to make room for someone else. Michael Keenan is currently Threshold Chief Development Officer.”
