SLEEPING on a pile of old Chronicles with just a sleeping bag to keep warm is not normally how I choose to spend a Friday night.

But last Friday I volunteered with 70 other people to take part in Launchpad's annual The Big Sleep Out, to get an insight into what it is like every night for Reading's homeless.

After I had rolled out my pitiful sleeping bag on top of flattened cardboard boxes and papers, I suddenly realised that I was going to be in for a long night.

A kind camper next to me, saw my sorry state and kindly offered his air bed to try and make my quarters semi-comfortable, but I declined in the spirit of trying to experience the Sleep Out as 'realistic as possible.'

We were then all ushered into Queen Anne's school hall for several speeches by Launchpad staff, who gave us an idea of the work they do in Reading to try and keep people off the streets.

They emphasised the need for people to stop seeing the homeless as uneducated people who didn't want to change, but instead people who had undergone difficulties and life changing circumstances.

Before we went down for the night we were given leek and potato soup, which had been made from vegetables Launchpad clients had grown.

Leek and potato is not a favourite flavour of mine, and it did take me a while to realise that if I really was homeless I would have finished every last drop and be grateful that I had eaten something warm.

With my phone and keys in the bottom of my sleeping bag I tried to get some sleep but my plan was scuppered by the camper next to me calling out in her sleep and one a few shelters down snoring every few minutes.

The sound of shredding cardboard kindly woke me up in the early hours of the morning as one camper thoughtfully left early.

From then I drifted in and out of sleep, clutching every now and again at my phone and car keys, just to make sure they were still there.

Sleeping outside you are completely vulnerable not only to the elements but also other people.

And although I knew I was surrounded by like minded people, I still didn't trust that my belongings or myself were completely safe.

When I couldn't even try going back to sleep at 5.30am, I got up to a fresh cup of coffee provided by Tamp Culture Coffee and headed home.

After collapsing into my warm bed at 6.30am I suddenly felt guilty that I was able to do that and that the Sleep Out was just a charity event for me.

But the challenge did not end there. Despite a few hours kip, I struggled to function and concentrate for the rest of the day.

The few hours shut eye had completely thrown my body clock out of synch, making it difficult for me to have the energy to do anything.

If lack of sleep was routine for me, as it is for the homeless, I would find it a struggle to muster up enough energy to attend meetings and job interviews.

Hundreds of young people are sofa surfing in Reading, but how can they be expected to perform and interview to the best of their abilities on a few hours sleep?

Ian Caren, Launchpad's chief executive, said: "There are hundreds of young people in Reading sofa surfing, moving from place to place. In October there are plans to stop housing benefit for 18-21-year-olds and that is going to be an absolute catastrophe, where are all these young people going to live if they can't afford to top up their income with the housing benefit?"

"Homeless people are people, and we have got to help them help themselves so they can become a contributing member of society.

"Homeless does not just happen to uneducated people, it happens to all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons and as soon as we start treating these people as people, the easier it will be to help them.

All I want is a plot of land, give me a plot of land and I will build homes for these people."

My experience at the Sleep Out was a staged, safe glimpse into what it is vaguely like for people who sleep rough every night.

They do not have the luxury of staying in a school's grounds with staff patrolling throughout the night, they do not have a hot meal before they bed down or breakfast ready for them when they wake up and they certainly do not have toilets they can use throughout the night.

I struggled to cope, despite all the luxuries and securities, I could not imagine this being my everyday rather than just a one off event.