CHARITABLE young scouts from Alveston showed real maturity after volunteering to help give out food and clothes to homeless people in Bristol this weekend.

Nine scouts and one cub scout from the Second Alveston group partnered up with Bristol charity Feed the Homeless on Friday night as they helped homeless people around Broadmead, and fundraised by talking to the public.

The group, who are aged between eight and 14, offered their time as part of homeless awareness week. 

Scout leader Emily Fairman told the Gazette how she was “so proud of the energy they have to work towards a more inclusive world that meets hatred with kindness and suffering with compassion.

“They are truly lovely young people who want to make the future their own.”

She added: “I am really impressed with the maturity of the scouts and their passion for trying to change things they think are wrong.

“The care they took and the way they engaged with the homeless people was breathtaking, they saw past the stereotype to understand that people everywhere are still individuals who need to be treated with respect and dignity.”

Shada Nasrullah from Feed the Homeless said that the group’s energy and enthusiasm was “infectious” but that “they were also really sensitive when we approached the homeless to offer them clothing or food.”

He praised the group for their maturity and understanding, saying: “We all felt that they had a good grasp of the situation and understood that there are many reasons why people end up sleeping rough and the challenges they face.

“The collection tin rattlers on the clothes team did an amazing job raising money, but more than that they raised the profile of homelessness by speaking to passers-by in a really polite but engaging way and I’m sure they tugged at the consciousness of some of those people.”