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Homeless tour guides reveal the unseen city of London

A volunteer-based organiszation called the Sock Mob is focused on bringing about social change by bringing together people from different walks of life, and their spin-off social events branch has launched Unseen City Tours as part of this month's London Fringe Festival.

For five quid -- that's $8.75 -- you can take a 'hosted homeless walk' around either London Bridge or the bohemian neighbrhood of Shoreditch, and your guide will know the streets better than most, because he actually calls them home.

Similar to the social and creative ethos behind The Big Issue magazine enterprise, Unseen Tours is hoping to improve the lives of the homeless in London by training them, and allowing them to earn a living by sharing their stories. "These are tours with a social conscience, appealing to Londoners and visitors alike, and anyone who wants to connect with people from different walks of life," says the Sock Mob website.

The Sock Mob is a grassroots volunteer network engaging with homeless people in London, using the ice-breaking power of socks and conversation to reconnect them with society.

See a BBC video report here.

Full post as published by the 13th juror on August 07, 2010 (boomark / email).