Over the past weeks and months I’ve spent time with faith groups to find out more about the massive contributions they make to the community and hear more about their concerns and views. In the past few weeks, for instance, I was pleased to meet with Archie Coates of St Peter’s Church to find out about the work he and his team are doing. I was delighted to join a service at Gloucester Street Baptist Church a few Sundays ago to talk about my values and also hear from worshippers there. In February I joined the YMCA at their Sleep Easy event to highlight the problem of homelessness.

I’ve also enjoyed a longer association with Fareshare, a charity backed by Churches Together in Sussex that redistributes surplus supermarket food to people who need it. I volunteered for a day with the team last year and was hugely impressed by the tremendous work they do and the boost they give to all sorts of vulnerable people.

Church and faith groups of all kinds make a variety of contributions to our city’s life, in particular tackling poverty on the ground. As an anti-poverty campaigner in my work life, I’m keen to support them. For me, one of the most striking things about the work these groups do is the focus and importance they attach to self-esteem and developing confidence, often having a transformational effect on people’s lives. Whether it’s the volunteers themselves or the people getting the help, making sure that people are valued is at the core of the work. I’m always impressed with that and think that anyone, regardless of their personal faith, can support that too.

The YMCA has been providing a safe haven for young people in Sussex for many years -not just by providing temporary accommodation - but by offering help and support concerning access to services, supporting families and providing suitable accommodation to avert the breakdown of families and prevent young people from leaving home in the first place. The Big Sleep Easy is a great event to raise awareness and encourage people to support the great work the YMCA does.

When I got to the event everyone was busy making their night shelters from cardboard and there was certainly a lot of creative thought going into some of them! It meant I got a chance to warm my hands on the brazier Chair of Sussex Central YMCA Ian Chisnall (left) and Chief Executive of YMCA Sussex Central David Standing (centre) about the essential work they do in Brighton to support people who find themselves homeless.

I visited all of the temporary cardboard homes and spoke to their occupants. One woman was there with her two children who were exceptionally excited about spending the night under the stars, but she told me if it hadn't been for YMCA, they would have been doing it because they had to, rather than to raise money - she said to me, "YMCA saved my life, I don't know where I would have been without them.”

It's a sobering thought and I have huge admiration for everyone who stayed out on such a freezing cold night to raise over £3000 for YMCA.