Street Cat Named Bob inspires Woodford Halse woman to walk for homeless

Jennie Curtis took part in last month’s 13 mile Big London Night Walk for the Big Issue Foundation and also slept in a cardboard box to raise funds and awareness.

She said: “I started reading A Street Cat Named Bob and it totally changed my understanding of homelessness and how the Big Issue works.

“I didn’t know that the vendors have to buy the magazines for £1.25 and they sell them for £2.50 to earn money. If they don’t buy enough, they don’t earn enough money to buy the next edition to sell. If they buy too many and don’t sell them, The Big Issue does not buy them back so they have less money to spend.”

Jennie, who met author James Bowen, started training for the walk with her cat Ziggy on a harness.

“I got up at 6am every morning, which was a challenge in itself in November. I started by walking around Woodford Halse.

“I started to update my Facebook page with our adventures and the messages of support came in. It was an amazing feeling knowing that people were looking out for our updates. When I spoke to a few local people who had been following me on social media, I got told we brightened their day with our pictures. I felt I was making a real difference to people and, more importantly, creating awareness of the issue of homelessness.”

Jennie, who has been a Scout leader for 22 years, has now raised nearly £500 for the charity.