Mark Burgess built a £350 wooden shelter for the homeless and gave it to a couple in Cardiff (Picture: BPM)

A man built a cabin for homeless people to sleep in and then spent Christmas Eve looking for someone who could use the portable shelter.

Mark Burgess, from Llanrumney, made the wooden shelter – which can be moved around on wheels and comes with a fire alarm, light, insulation, ventilation and a lock – to provide a dry space for a homeless person to sleep and a safe place to keep belongings.

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After creating the shelter, Mark spent his Christmas Eve looking for people sleeping rough to ensure they had somewhere dry to wake up on the morning of December 25.

Mark, 35, said: ‘I walked around Cardiff on Christmas Eve and when I got to St Mary Street I saw a couple with a dog. I talked to them for a while and even though I had built it for one person they seemed keen so I took the guy to see it.’




Mark said the couple – Sion, who is 34, and Sherrie, 28 – were on the street with their dog Taff.

The couple used the shelter on Christmas Eve (Picture: Wales News Service)

‘He had promised her they would be off the street by next Christmas,’ Mark said.

‘He was really happy about the shelter. It can be pulled like a wheelbarrow but it has removable wheels so they can take the wheels off if they find a spot.

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‘There’s a handle on the other end to pull it. The inside is covered in insulation and there’s an adjustible ventilation inside if it gets too stuffy.

‘I also put a battery-operated light switch and a fire alarm in there.

‘And it locks from the inside and out so they can leave their things there.’

Mark, who owns a repairs and recoat company for architectural metal, said he decided to build the mobile cabins following recent cold nights and wanted to help those on the street stay dry and warmer as temperatures fall.

The shelter has a lock and can be moved on wheels (Picture: BPM)

The shelter took three days to make and Mark now wants to create more shelters in a similar style but using lighter materials.

He added: ‘The one I just made was quite heavy. I could pull it but an older person would struggle so I want the next one to be lighter. This one cost around £350 so I’m trying to raise money to make the next one.

‘I want to continue making more so that more homeless people can have a dry and safe place to stay.’

You can make a donation to help Mark make more shelters here.