"I've just had a really upsetting night on the streets of Newcastle. If you think there's no poverty in this country think again, because I've just seen it. "Hundreds of people in this region have to sleep rough, not just for a few days but for years on end. Some of them are elderly; most of them are in their teens or 20s. "Just about all of them have got a problem with either drink or drugs. When the sun goes down this invisible community settles down for the night. They squirrel themselves away in nooks and crannies with a blanket and a bottle of booze to take away the pain. Second class citizen"I started the night by seeing what it's like to sit on the street with a blanket. People look at you for half a second and then look away. They don't know how to respond so they pretend you're not there. It's easier that way.  | | Mike meets homeless people on Tyneside |
"Put a cigarette in your hand and ask for a light and you'll normally get one. Never do that if there are two of them though. Apparently one of them will sometimes give you a light whilst the other attacks you. "Rough sleepers are the lowest of the low and as soon as you sit on the pavement you become a second class citizen. "All the people I met were bright people - thinkers. One guy in his 60s is a former paratrooper. He was spending the night in the Haymarket bus station in Newcastle. He is a very pround man and ran into problems when he came out of the army. His life fell apart when there was nobody to tell him what to do. "Others have left home because they've fallen out with partner or their family. Some of the teenagers have got kids. They are longing to see their children but they're too ashamed to meet them because of their problems. Moving experience"Another guy who busks on Northumberland Street during the day sleeps in a pitch-black hell hole in a derelict building. There is no light at all. It's full of empty beer cans and syringes. That's where he lives. How he stays fit and healthy is beyond me. "The people I met all stick together and the ones who've been at it for a long time tend to know where to find their mates. They might meet up at the People's Kitchen for a hot meal at the end of the day.  | | Mike met support workers too |
"I was lucky - it got to about 4am and I managed to get some space in a sleeping bag on a hostel floor. The floor is hard but at least it's warm. "Normally when I do TV or radio interviews I say thank you and then walk away. I couldn't do that this time. The interview nearly always ended in tears. I found it really difficult to walk off into the night leaving people so upset. "But they're really really strong and something is keeping them going. If you ask them what it is, they don't know. For one teenage mum it's the prospect of getting herself off heroin and being able to see her kids. She is just 18. Counting my blessings "The whole thing has had a real effect on me. I'll be honest with you, until now I've always walked past rough sleepers on the street. I've even thought some of them might just be begging for money to see how much they can make. From now on though, not only will I give them a pound, I'll stop and talk to them. "I've just glanced out of the window. It's pouring down and there's a really strong wind blowing. Les, Lincoln, Stuart, Jay, they're all out there right now trying to stay alive. "I'll think about that the next time I complain about the weather… oh... and I'll never ever complain about getting a bad nights sleep again!" | 
