At the age of 45, mum-of-two Mandy Pattison lost everything and found herself living in fear on the streets of Newcastle.
She lost her flat, sold her car for drink and drugs money, and her daughter taken into the care of family. And after sofa surfing for a year she eventually found herself on the streets with only the few belongings she still owned.
Unsure of what to do or where to go, Mandy spent her nights in Newcastle's Leazes Park, where every sight, smell and sound filled her with a deep fear she had never experienced before. But today she bravely shared her experience of homelessness after becoming the forefront of a new campaign urging the Government to do more to end rough sleeping.
