How space at Leicester offers hope to others
Every undergraduate student enrolling at our University will help to make an out-of-this-world difference – with space blankets as part of a package of support to homeless people in Leicester.
The University will make a contribution to local charity The Bridge - Homelessness to Hope for every undergraduate student who enrols at Leicester in the form of space blankets and other essentials.
The number of people sleeping rough in the UK is expected to double from around 9,260 in 2016 to 19,820 in 2041, according to projections of homelessness cited in a recent report by national homeless charity Crisis.
Space blankets designed to reduce heat loss and able to withstand wind and moisture were developed by NASA. Leicester is the UK’s leading space city, home to the National Space Centre, Space Park Leicester and the University of Leicester’s space research.
The initiative will introduce prospective new students to the work that Leicester does to help support the most vulnerable, as part of a programme of corporate social responsibility of which The Bridge is a key partner.
Professor Philip Baker, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of College of Life Sciences and Dean of Medicine, is a Trustee of the Charity. He said: “I am delighted the University is once again backing The Bridge – Homelessness to Hope. The work that they do in supporting the most vulnerable in society is truly remarkable.
“Linking this with Clearing and with enrolment at Leicester provides a clear signal to all those starting at Leicester that we are committed to supporting the most vulnerable in society. This is not a one-off gesture but is fundamental to our ethos and benefits the city in which we are founded.”