A chance encounter with a homeless man soaked to the skin on a freeing December day last year has sparked a keen wild swimmer to create a weather-proof sleeping bag to help others in a similar situation.
John Keogh, from Uphall, admitted the encounter was a life-changing experience, and made him want to do more to help.
Since then he has set up an organisation working on the front line making waterproof, wind-proof and fleece lined sleeping coats that are donated to individuals sleeping rough…. for free.
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And as winter closes in he is looking to work with more charity groups to help get as many of the potentially life-saving garments out to the people who need them most.
The demand could not be more urgent. As the Local Democracy Reporting Service has reported, the numbers of deaths on the streets have climbed steadily. The highest figures of estimated deaths of homeless people in the last year were in Edinburgh and Midlothian.
The figures for West Lothian, although below the Scottish average of 60 per million, at 32.7, are still not acceptable as even one death is one to many. There’s no doubt, living on the streets can be a killer.
John Keogh’s “Ootsider” is a changing robe for wild swimmers, and other outdoor sports, and sells for £130. Net profits from each one are reinvested to provide the Ootsider Sleeping Coat, essentially a hooded long, waterproof, wind-proof and fleece-lined coat, with a bag which converts the robe to a sleeping bag, and is distributed to someone rough sleeping for free.
“I think it was a life changing moment for me,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service of his encounter while Christmas shopping with his wife last year.
“Walking down Buchanan Street in Glasgow on a freezing cold December afternoon, I spotted a poor soul begging in the middle of the street, soaked through to the skin, with his sleeping bag as his only protection. The realisation that this was his only clothes, he wasn’t going home for a warm shower, changing into something dry and warm and sitting down to a hot plate of soup …… this was his lot, and here I was all kitted out for the elements.
“I bought him a McDonalds and spoke to him for a bit, but felt somewhat disappointed, guilty almost that that was all I had done, and got to thinking about what more I could do, not just right now, but ongoing.
“As a wild swimmer, with one of those branded changing robes, I thought could I possibly get these made and donate free of charge to this community? And, what if it could convert into a sleeping bag as well ensuring they were at least warm and dry whilst they slept rough. And that’s where The Ootsider Sleeping Coat was born.”
John set up The Ootsider as a registered Community Interest Company (CIC), where the community are those individuals who are sleeping rough in the UK for some unfortunate reason, not necessary of their own doing.
“I decided on a CIC as it allows me to take donations, grants, as well as being able to sell products. Based on that I have created a range of own brand garments that I sell to those who enjoy our great outdoors e.g. wild swimmers, campers, hill walkers or dog walkers, and reinvest the profits from the sales of these garments for the manufacture and distribution of our sleeping coat, completely free of charge, to those sleeping rough .
“All of the Ootsiders garments are hand-made solely in Scotland and as our business grows hopefully creating jobs.”
The retired engineer and his wife have funded the start-up of The Ootsider, and through the reinvestment of profits from sales, along with donations have managed to donate 20 Ootsider Sleeping Coats so far this year. And with the ongoing generosity of the public and sales he’s hoping to have reached 50 by Christmas.
“And I need help with that,” he said. “If I could collaborate with a charity or with charities, then together we could reach so many more of these unfortunate individuals, providing them with the gift of keeping dryer and warmer, the most basic of our human needs, whilst they find themselves in this situation.”
He has longer term plans to develop the business in West Lothian, as well as making other practical products that will help this community.
John has already established links with an Edinburgh convent which works with rough sleepers, and is keen to speak to more charities.
“I’d like to see how I can develop this by working with front-line charities who work directly with those on the street so that we can get more help to those in most need.
John readily admits his garments are not the cheapest, and there are other branded changing robes on the market, especially online, far cheaper. But the price is not the point, said John.
“I want you to buy it because of the why. You essentially buy into the fact that a rough sleeper will benefit from the purchase or the donation you make. That you can help make a significant, positive change to someone’s life. That’s why I’d like you to purchase one or make a donation”
“It’s not a commodity. The price is there so I am able to do what I need to do. It’s a brilliant jacket, excellent quality, fleece-lined, waterproof, the whole shebang. It’s a high quality jacket but it’s about the why. I want folk who are sleeping rough to have a quality garment that will protect them and something that will make them feel valued. The value of this is because of the why, it is not because of the price.
“I’ve got a byline now and it’s ‘The Ootsider. The changing robe that’s changing lives,’ because that’s what it’s actually doing.”
This month John is planning The Ootsider 12 Days of Christmas, where he will be sleeping rough in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow from 1st to 12th December, to raise his own awareness of the real problems rough sleepers face and learn from the experience how to improve the design of his robes.
To see Ootsider products for sale, or to make a donation and help make a positive change to someone’s life if they are sleeping rough, go to www.theootsider.co.uk
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