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Action for Children's Boycott Your Bed sleepout has raised £265,000 from supporters at events in London, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow. More than 20 teams from the technology, business and corporate sectors took part.
Hundreds of people from technology companies and other businesses spent a night outdoors at sites including Cutty Sark Gardens in London, Hampden Park in Glasgow, the Tiltyard Jousting Arena at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, and Symphony Park at Circle Square in Manchester.
Participants included staff from Microsoft, Accenture, Sparta Global, La Fosse, Capgemini and PwC. The event brought together technology leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and other professionals to raise money for support services for vulnerable children, young people and families.
The fundraiser is now in its 29th year and has raised £14.6 million over that time, with this year's total still rising.
Action for Children linked the campaign to hardship facing children across the UK, saying 38 per cent of children in London live in poverty. Its frontline staff regularly see young people going to sleep hungry, without a proper bed and wearing clothes or shoes that no longer fit.
Money raised through the sleepout is used to provide practical and emotional support. Action for Children works through 342 services in communities across the UK, in schools and online, and helped more than half a million vulnerable children, young people and families last year.
The event also drew support from public figures, with Coronation Street actor Alison King joining the Manchester sleepout.
"Sleeping out for one night is nothing compared with the reality faced by far too many children across the UK. For us, it was one night and we knew we could go home to a warm bed in the morning. For thousands of children, feeling cold, hungry or unsafe isn't a choice or a one-off experience. It's their everyday reality. I feel very strongly that no child should have to live like that. Boycott Your Bed is about standing alongside those children, raising awareness and vital funds, and helping Action for Children be there for families when they need it most. Even though it poured down in true Manchester fashion, the night was high-energy and I'm glad I was able to show my support by sleeping out," said Alison King, Actor.
Long-running campaign
The sleepout began nearly three decades ago under the name Byte Night. Ken Deeks, who founded the original event and is now a Vice President at Action for Children, said it continued to attract backing from across the sector.
"A huge thank you to everyone who took part in Boycott Your Bed this year. It's an honour to still support Action for Children's work, 29 years after launching its first sleepout event, Byte Night. The commitment and generosity shown by participants will make an incredible difference to thousands of children, young people and families across the UK," said Ken Deeks MBE, Founder of Boycott Your Bed and Action for Children Vice President.
More than 500 people took part in the national sleepout across the four cities, according to Action for Children, reflecting the campaign's continued links to the technology industry even as participation has widened to include other corporate supporters.
For the charity, the event is both a fundraising drive and a way to draw attention to child poverty and housing insecurity. Supporters sleep outside for one night, while organisers stress that many children face cold, hunger and unsafe living conditions on an ongoing basis.
Action for Children also highlighted individual cases to show how its services are used. David, 19, received help from the charity after sleeping rough and sofa surfing for almost a year.
"I don't know where I'd be without that support. Action for Children helped me get off the streets and I'd probably still be homeless without them," said David.