College students in Burton who braved the cold to spend the night on the street for a charity sleep-out have staged a hard-hitting play on the harsh realities of homelessness.
Local people and members of homeless charities headed to Burton and South Derbyshire College on Lichfield Street to watch the performance by arts students.
Performing arts student Katie Seagrave said: "Taking part in this project and speaking to people who are homeless has made us all realise how lucky we all are. We have learnt that we shouldn't take our lives and everything we have for granted, as all it takes is one mistake and it could be anybody living on the streets.
"The experience changed our perspectives and has given us the inspiration we need to make our piece as hard-hitting and meaningful as possible.
"The performance will help us to express the emotions involved and present real stories about life on the streets. It's important to get these stories heard to raise awareness and make a difference."
Three of those in the play braved the November chill to take part in the YMCA Big Sleep Out last year. Katie Seagrave, Heidi Caborn and Charlie-Mae Proudlove spent the night sleeping in a cardboard box at the Pirelli Stadium.
Katie said: "The Big Sleep Out was an eye-opening experience and it makes you feel grateful for what you've got. It really made us all aware of the harsh conditions homeless people go through in the winter and we all admitted we missed having a warm bed and our families around us.
"We also realised how lucky we all are and that we shouldn't take our lives and everything we have for granted, as all it takes is one mistake and it could be anybody living on the streets. The experience changed our perspectives and has given us the inspiration we need to make our piece as hard-hitting and meaningful as possible."
The performance, including a 20-minute dance routine and a 20-minute acting piece, went off without a hitch and received great acclaim from the audience.
Performing arts lecturer Zoe Hopkins said she "couldn't be prouder" of what the students had achieved.
She said: "The maturity the girls have shown has been phenomenal. They have taken this topic that is extremely difficult to talk about and turned it into a fantastic piece, which we hope will encourage more people to understand homelessness.
"Some of them met with people who had actually been homeless and retold their stories, including the bad times and the good times after they were helped by the YMCA.
"I couldn't be prouder of them."
The students held fund-raising events, including bake sales, to pay for the props and costumes for the performance, with the rest of the money donated to the Burton RSPCA.
