Dawn Gibbins to give away £250,000 on Secret Millionaire

 

Dawn Gibbins, founder of the Barefoot Foundation, goes undercover in south west England, looking for people who may need her help, before returning home a changed woman.

 

During her time undercover, Dawn lives in one of the most deprived areas in the south west of England, with high levels of street crime, and where drug misuse is rife. She looks for and is introduced to people that may need her help. She meets and is inspired by some of the people trying to tackle some of Bristol's biggest social problems.

From volunteering on an outreach van with the One25 project, a charity that seeks to enable women who are abused and trapped in a life of street sex-work, to serving meals to those sleeping rough and battling addiction at the Wild Goose Café, she comes across a world she never knew existed. And at the Teenage Parents Project in the south of Bristol, Dawn finds inspiration in Deana Stone, a former teen mum who now offers support and guidance to young parents.

 

The experience shocks Dawn to the core and challenges her in ways she never could have imagined. At the end of her stay in Bristol, Dawn returns home a changed woman. But not before she transforms the lives of the people she meets and gives away a quarter of a million pounds when she reveals that she's a Secret Millionaire.

 

“Six months ago if anyone had asked me who inspired me, I would have said Richard Branson or Bill Gates. Forget that now. The people who inspired and amazed me are the wonderful volunteers who give their time and money selflessly to help others make a better life for themselves. I am in awe at their energy and determination – they truly are amazing.”