A DAD-of-four who once spent eight months sleeping rough on a golf course is returning to the world of homelessness to raise awareness of the growing problem.

Jayson Lomax-Hargreaves, of Gordon Street, Leigh, has vowed to sleep outside Leigh Town Hall in aid of the Homeless Support Project.

The charity on Railway Road offers food, drink, clothes, sleeping bags, tents and support and advice to the homeless, needy and destitute in Leigh and the wider Wigan borough.

Jayson wishes such charities existed when he was sleeping rough in London at the ages of 18 and 22 following relationship breakdowns with his family and ex-partner.

The 35-year-old said: “I know from my own experiences how tough it is spending time living on the streets.

“I had a job working as a greenkeeper for a golf club when I was 22 and because of my personal circumstances I left home and decided to pick a spot on the golf course which would provide the best shelter for me.

“Obviously it was very cold and there is nothing to prepare you for the pain you wake up with, no matter how many sheets of paper you put in your clothes.

“The first night I slept rough at 18 was in a car park and I was woken up at 3am by people throwing cans at me, which was a scary experience.

“Luckily for me I have never been physically assaulted but I know homeless people who have, which is dreadful and a sad indictment of our society."

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority announced on Friday that a new £1.8 million social impact bond will help to provide accommodation, health support and improvements in the way homeless people are encouraged into education or work for up to 200 people.

It is expected that the new service will be on the streets of Greater Manchester by the end of the month, helping people during the cold winter months.

Jayson is forever indebted to The Salvation Army for helping him with food and clothes in his time of need and hopes that homelessness is soon a thing of the past.

He said: “We are in the year 2017 and there are still people sleeping rough, which is unacceptable.

“We need more facilities to support them rather than treat them like a subsector of our lives.

“I think there is still not enough consideration for the homeless and that they are sleeping rough for a reason.

“They may have had a well paid job but lost it because of mental health problems or ended up on the streets because of a relationship breakdown – there are lots of ways people can end up in that situation.

“While we are tucked up in bed at night or eating a roast dinner on a Sunday afternoon we should all spare a thought for those who do not have a roof over their heads."

Jayson says homeless people are welcome to join him in sleeping outside Leigh Town Hall on December 20.

To make a donation visit gofundme/sleeping-rough.com.