TRAGIC: Homeless men set up camp on Chesterfield park

Two homeless men are living in a tent on the Chester Street Recreation Ground in Brampton.

The large, family-sized tent appeared on Saturday on the Chester Street Recreation Ground in Brampton.

The park and the children’s play area within it are regularly used by local families but on Sunday morning were unusually quiet.

One of the men, Mark, told the Derbyshire Times he was living in the tent as there was ‘no help at all’ for people in his situation in Chesterfield.

Mark, 50, was in the army and says there is no help for people in his situation in Chesterfield.

“I was in the army for 11 years but the forces charities do nothing for me now,” he said.

“Also, I’m over 35 so I’m not classed as a vulnerable adult so the housing people can’t do anything to help me either.

“There is only the soup kitchen that we can go to.”

Mark - who is 50 years old - said he had accessed help in the past from Chesterfield homeless charity Pathways but that the solution they offered him was not suitable.

“They said I could go to stay at Brockhill Court in Brimington but that’s a real ‘den of iniquity’ - just full of drugs.

“They just fill it with all the same type of people so going there doesn’t help.

“I decided to get clean eight weeks ago because you can’t have a drug problem on the streets.

“There’s no chance to make any money other than by robbing stuff.”

Mark said the pair would only be staying on the park ‘until Monday morning’ but did not say where they would go to after that.

The Derbyshire Times called the Pathways charity but their office was closed on Sunday.

We also called Derbyshire County Council who said they might be able to help but only if the men referred themselves.