Day 1 — And it begins
The opening video from the start of Fitzy and Connor’s roughly 250-mile walk from Durham back to Milton Keynes.
▶ WATCH ON FACEBOOK
The Long Walk Home: Fitzy and Connor on the Durham to Milton Keynes homelessness-awareness campaign.
MK Homeless & Community Support
The Long Walk Home supported the continuing work of MK Homeless & Community Support and helped take the conversation about homelessness beyond Milton Keynes.
Durham → Milton Keynes
Around 250 miles. Two friends. One mission. They did it. Fitzy and Connor Aldridge completed The Long Walk Home from Durham to Milton Keynes, raising awareness of homelessness and supporting the continuing work of MK Homeless & Community Support CIC.
✅ Challenge completed — home 1 September 2026.
MKFM reported that Tyler “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick and Connor Aldridge completed the approximately 250-mile walk in 17 days and returned to Milton Keynes to a warm welcome from supporters.
MKFM reported that Tyler “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick and Connor Aldridge completed the approximately 250-mile walk in 17 days and returned to Milton Keynes to a warm welcome from supporters.
THEY DID IT — campaign update: Their message travelled through towns, villages and communities along the route, helping to raise awareness of homelessness and challenge stigma. The fundraiser remained open after the walk. This page recorded £1,520 of the £5,000 target from 65 donations on 12 September 2026; use the official fundraiser button below for the live amount.
🏁 The finish line & homecoming
This is the Long Walk Home Facebook reel already linked with the campaign as the homecoming update, showing the completion/homecoming moment shared by MK Homeless.
Fundraising transparency: Right First Time UK does not receive any money from this page or from The Long Walk Home fundraiser. Donations are made through the official fundraiser and are for the ongoing work of MK Homeless & Community Support CIC.
Page information checked and refreshed: 24 September 2026. Live fundraising totals may change — use the official fundraiser for the current amount.
Campaign tracker
250 miles completed for homelessness awareness
The challenge is complete, but the message continues. The Long Walk Home carried the conversation about homelessness through towns, villages and communities between Durham and Milton Keynes, while raising money for the continuing work of MK Homeless & Community Support CIC.
250+Approximate miles
2Walkers — Fitzy & Connor
£1,520Raised at latest check
65Donations at latest check
£5,000Fundraising target
£1,520 of £5,00030.4%
Fundraiser updated 12 September 2026: £1,520 raised of £5,000 from 65 donations (30.4% of target). MKFM reported the campaign had passed £1,500 when its follow-up article was published on 11 September. Use the official fundraiser for the live amount.
Completed — 1 September 2026: Fitzy and Connor made it back to Milton Keynes after the full Long Walk Home challenge. MKFM's 11 September follow-up says the walk took 17 days and supporters gave them a warm welcome home. The achievement did more than cover the distance: it brought people together, created conversations about homelessness and helped challenge stigma. The fundraising continues even though the walk itself is finished.
They did it • MKFM follow-up
17 days, 250 miles — and a message bigger than the walk
On 11 September 2026, MKFM published a follow-up on The Long Walk Home after Fitzy and Connor had returned to Milton Keynes. The report says the pair completed the approximately 250-mile journey from Durham in 17 days and arrived home on 1 September to a warm welcome from supporters.
What the journey achieved
More than two friends walking home
Fitzy told MKFM that the pair passed through many towns, villages and communities, with people coming out to support them and follow the message. He said the experience brought people together, raised awareness around homelessness and, they hope, helped break down some of the stigma surrounding it.
“What started as two mates taking on a crazy challenge became something so much bigger.”
The human impact
The walk affected them too
MKFM reports that Fitzy is still processing what they saw and experienced during the walk. He said the challenge affected him mentally more than he expected and made him think differently after returning home.
This is an important part of the campaign story: homelessness awareness is not only about numbers. Meeting people, hearing experiences and seeing communities first-hand can change how the issue is understood.
What happens next?
They say this could be only the beginning
After resting and recovering from the challenge, Fitzy and Connor are already talking about what the project could become beyond The Long Walk Home. MKFM reports that they want to continue using the community support behind them for the good cause and believe there may be something bigger to build from the journey.
The walk is over. The mission is not.
Fundraising continues
£1,520 raised from 65 donations
MKFM reported that around £1,500 had been raised through the GoFundMe campaign when its article was published. The latest fundraiser snapshot supplied to this hub on 12 September 2026 is £1,520 of £5,000 from 65 donations.
The fundraiser remains open for anyone who wants to support MK Homeless & Community Support CIC.
Why they walked
More than a charity walk
MK Homeless described The Long Walk Home as a journey designed to take the conversation about homelessness beyond Milton Keynes. Fitzy and Connor completed the roughly 250-mile route from Durham back to Milton Keynes while documenting what happened along the way.
The campaign is about more than completing the distance. Their public fundraiser says they want to meet people, listen to stories, show the realities of homelessness in different communities, start conversations, take on challenges and look for opportunities to make a difference as they travel.
The walk is also intended to turn attention into practical help. Money raised through the official campaign supports the continuing work of MK Homeless & Community Support CIC rather than paying for Fitzy and Connor to do the walk.
The Mission
Durham → Milton Keynes.
Around 250 miles.
Two old friends.
One mission.
Raise awareness.
Start conversations.
Help people.
Where the fundraising goes
What the money is being raised for
The official fundraiser every donation supports the ongoing work of MK Homeless & Community Support CIC. It also makes clear that the public is not being asked to fund the walk itself — Fitzy and Connor are taking on the walk themselves. The purpose is to use the journey to raise awareness, grow the community around the work and increase the organisation's ability to help people experiencing homelessness and hardship.
🧥 Emergency essentials
Providing essential items when donated supplies are not available.
🚨 Immediate crisis support
Helping the organisation respond when somebody is facing an immediate crisis.
🏠 Accommodation & stability
Supporting people towards accommodation, safety and stability.
🤝 Ongoing community work
Helping MK Homeless & Community Support CIC continue and develop its work in the community.
💚 Being there for people
Supporting people who may feel they have nowhere else to turn.
📣 Awareness that leads to action
Taking the conversation beyond Milton Keynes, reaching more people and turning the attention created by the walk into more opportunities to help.
Fundraiser transparency: Right First Time UK does not receive any money from this page or from donations made through the official fundraiser. The fundraiser states that donations support the ongoing work of MK Homeless & Community Support CIC, including emergency essentials, immediate crisis support, help towards accommodation and stability, and continued community support.
Journey archive
The Long Walk Home — 250 Mile Journey
Watch the start of Fitzy and Connor's Long Walk Home below, then visit the official MK Homeless Facebook page and community groups to look back through the completed 250-mile journey from Durham to Milton Keynes and follow whatever comes next.
Verified Long Walk Home videos
These are the Long Walk Home videos and updates linked from MK Homeless & Community Support’s Facebook page and Long Walk Home/community group material for this campaign — not unrelated Facebook videos.
Made it to Durham — now the nerves are real
Fitzy arrives in Durham to meet Connor before the Long Walk Home begins.
▶ WATCH ON FACEBOOKConnor’s survival tips — 240+ miles to go
An early Long Walk Home update showing just how far they still had to travel.
▶ WATCH ON FACEBOOKDay 1 — Part 6
A direct MK Homeless Long Walk Home video from the first day of the challenge.
▶ WATCH ON FACEBOOKThe final stretch — heading home
A Long Walk Home reel as Fitzy and Connor approached the end of the journey and their return to Milton Keynes.
▶ WATCH ON FACEBOOKMilton Keynes — we will see you all soon
A direct Long Walk Home video from MK Homeless connected with the Durham-to-Milton Keynes journey.
▶ WATCH ON FACEBOOKSo close now — Leeds
A direct MK Homeless Long Walk Home update as the journey reached Leeds.
▶ WATCH ON FACEBOOKStories behind The Long Walk Home
A direct MK Homeless video about the journey and the wider homelessness-awareness work behind it.
▶ WATCH ON FACEBOOKKeep going — never give up
A direct Long Walk Home video highlighting the effort and determination needed as the miles built up.
▶ WATCH ON FACEBOOKAnother later-journey update
Another direct MK Homeless Long Walk Home video from the later stages of the challenge.
▶ WATCH ON FACEBOOKDay 6 — Facebook community-group update
This matching Day 6 update is from the MK Homeless community group. Facebook group posts can require sign-in, so it opens directly on Facebook rather than pretending it is a public embedded video.
OPEN DAY 6 GROUP UPDATEHomelessness awareness
Why the campaign matters
The latest official annual rough sleeping snapshot estimated 4,793 people sleeping rough on a single night in England in autumn 2025.
4,793Estimated people sleeping rough on one autumn night in England in 2025.
+3%Increase compared with the 2024 single-night snapshot.
Record2025 exceeded the previous single-night snapshot peak recorded in 2017.
Important: this is a single-night rough sleeping estimate, not the total number of people experiencing homelessness across the year.
Latest official picture — England
Homelessness: the numbers, the causes and the law
Homelessness does not only mean sleeping on the street. It can include people in temporary accommodation, people with nowhere they can legally or reasonably stay, and households who are at risk of losing their home. The figures below use the latest Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government statutory homelessness release available when this hub was updated on 31 August 2026.
83,850Households assessed as owed a homelessness prevention or relief duty in England between January and March 2026.
135,580Households in temporary accommodation in England on 31 March 2026 — a record high in the official release.
86,460Households with children among those in temporary accommodation on 31 March 2026.
4,793People estimated to be sleeping rough on one night in autumn 2025 — the highest annual snapshot since the current method began in 2010.
Do not confuse the figures: the 4,793 rough-sleeping figure is a one-night estimate. It is not the total number of homeless people. The statutory homelessness figures count households reaching particular council duties, while temporary accommodation is a snapshot of households placed by councils.
Why do people become homeless?
There is rarely one simple cause. A relationship ending, loss of income, eviction, rent arrears, domestic abuse, ill health or leaving an institution can combine with a shortage of affordable housing. The government records both the reason a household lost its last settled home and separate support needs or circumstances.
💔 Separation or relationship breakdown
A separation can mean one person loses the shared home, cannot afford the housing costs alone, or has to rely on relatives or friends. The official data also records large numbers where family or friends are no longer willing or able to accommodate them.
🏠 Eviction or tenancy ending
For prevention cases in January–March 2026, the end of a private rented assured shorthold tenancy was the most common recorded reason: 14,120 households (36.0%). The rental law changed from 1 May 2026, when Section 21 no-fault evictions were abolished for private assured tenancies in England.
💷 Rent, bills and affordability
Rent arrears, rising housing costs, debt or a sudden drop in income can make a tenancy impossible to sustain. The government's National Plan says the gap between housing costs and incomes, poverty and cost-of-living pressures contribute to rent arrears and housing insecurity.
🧰 Loss of work or low income
Losing a job or having hours or income reduced can trigger housing problems, especially where rent is already difficult to afford. Among households owed a duty in January–March 2026, 37.7% of lead applicants were registered unemployed — but employment status is a circumstance, not proof that unemployment was the direct cause in every case.
👪 Family or friends can no longer help
This was the most common reason recorded for households already homeless and owed a relief duty: 12,920 households (28.9%). It was also the second most common prevention reason: 9,260 households (23.6%).
🛡️ Domestic abuse or violence
Domestic abuse accounted for 7,610 households (17.0%) owed a relief duty in January–March 2026. Eligible people homeless because of domestic abuse have priority need for homelessness assistance under the Housing Act framework as amended by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
🧠 Mental health
30.6% of households owed a prevention or relief duty were recorded as having a history of mental health problems. Mental ill health can be a cause, consequence or complicating factor in homelessness, and should not automatically be treated as the sole reason someone lost a home.
♿ Ill health or disability
24.1% of households owed a duty had physical ill health or disability recorded as a support need. Disability or poor health can affect employment, income, accessibility needs and a person's ability to find or keep suitable accommodation.
🚪 Leaving prison, care, hospital or asylum accommodation
People can become homeless when they leave public institutions without suitable housing arranged. The government's National Plan says preventing people leaving institutions into homelessness requires stronger planning and coordination between services.
Important: homelessness can happen to people who are working as well as people who are unemployed. In the latest quarterly figures, 11.6% of lead applicants owed a duty were in full-time work. A job does not automatically mean somebody can afford or secure a suitable home.
What councils are legally required to do
In England, the main statutory framework is Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996, substantially amended by later legislation. The Homelessness Code of Guidance is statutory guidance that housing authorities must have regard to when carrying out these functions.
Free advice and information: councils must provide or secure free advice and information about homelessness and preventing homelessness.
Prevention duty: where an eligible household is threatened with homelessness, councils must take reasonable steps to help prevent homelessness. The statutory framework generally works from a 56-day prevention period.
Relief duty: if an eligible person is already homeless, the council must take reasonable steps to help them secure suitable accommodation, generally for at least six months.
Interim accommodation: where the council has reason to believe an applicant may be homeless, eligible and in priority need, it must secure interim accommodation while the case is considered.
Main housing duty: where the legal tests are met — including homelessness, eligibility, priority need and not being intentionally homeless — the council may owe the main duty to secure accommodation.
Suitability: accommodation secured under Part 7 must be suitable for the applicant and household. Temporary does not mean the council can ignore suitability requirements.
Key homelessness laws and current government policy
Housing Act 1996 — Part 7
The central legal framework for homelessness applications, assessments, priority need, interim accommodation and the main homelessness duty in England.
Read the official overviewHomelessness Act 2002
Requires housing authorities in England to review homelessness in their area and formulate and publish a homelessness strategy.
Read the statutory guidanceHomelessness Reduction Act 2017
Expanded council duties so eligible people can receive earlier prevention help and a relief duty, rather than homelessness assistance being focused only on people in priority need.
Homelessness legislation overviewDomestic Abuse Act 2021
Strengthened homelessness protection. Eligible applicants who are homeless as a result of domestic abuse have priority need for accommodation.
Domestic abuse homelessness guidanceRenters' Rights Act 2025
From 1 May 2026, Section 21 no-fault eviction was abolished for private assured tenancies in England. Landlords must use a valid possession ground and the correct legal process.
Official renters' rights guidanceVagrancy Act repeal — 29 June 2026
The government repealed the 1824 Vagrancy Act provisions that had criminalised rough sleeping and begging, stating the response should focus on prevention, support and long-term solutions.
Read the government announcementGovernment policy: A National Plan to End Homelessness
Published in December 2025, the government's current cross-government plan says the system should move away from crisis response and towards prevention. Its goals include halving long-term rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament, eliminating the unlawful use of B&B accommodation for families other than very short emergency use, improving temporary accommodation and increasing prevention. The government says homelessness and rough sleeping funding from 2026/27 includes a multi-year package supporting councils and services.
Milton Keynes — local response
Milton Keynes City Council says its rough sleeper service works with Housing Solutions and partner organisations to support people off the streets. In January 2026 the council reported that its Kernow Place facility in Fishermead could accommodate up to 20 people at a time and that more than 60 people had moved from rough sleeping into secure long-term accommodation since the facility opened.
Source date: national figures checked against the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government releases available when this hub was checked on 31 August 2026. Homelessness statistics are published on different schedules, so a one-night rough sleeping snapshot should never be added to temporary accommodation or statutory duty figures as though they measure the same thing.
Practical support
Seen Someone Sleeping Rough?
🏠 Milton Keynes Rough Sleeper Service
Official Milton Keynes City Council support information.
Council Support🏡 Homelessness Advice
Housing advice for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Housing SolutionsTransparency
Original Sources
📰 MKFM — Long Walk Home Follow-Up, 11 September 2026
📘 MK Homeless Support CIC — Facebook
👥 MK Homeless & Community Support CIC Group
👥 The Long Walk Home — Shared Facebook Group Link
❤️ Official Long Walk Home Fundraiser
🌐 Right First Time UK — Long Walk Home Hub
📊 GOV.UK — Rough Sleeping Snapshot 2025
📊 GOV.UK — Statutory Homelessness, January to March 2026
⚖️ GOV.UK — Homelessness Legislation Overview
🏛️ GOV.UK — A National Plan to End Homelessness
🏠 GOV.UK — Renters' Rights Act Guidance
⚖️ GOV.UK — Vagrancy Act Repeal, June 2026
🏙️ Milton Keynes City Council — Housing Strategies, Policies & Reports
MK Homeless supported by Right First Time UK
Fair Decisions • Public Money • Real Accountability
Last updated: 12 September 2026.
Campaign information and fundraising totals can change. Always check the original sources for the latest information.
Fair Decisions • Public Money • Real Accountability
Last updated: 12 September 2026.
Campaign information and fundraising totals can change. Always check the original sources for the latest information.