You did it!
Colleagues up and down the country took part in Action for Children’s flagship sleepout event, Byte Night, raising thousands of pounds to combat youth homelessness.
Every year, 83,000 children in the UK experience homelessness through no fault of their own. Byte Night raises money to fund Action for Children’s work with vulnerable young people, giving those who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness a brighter, more stable future.
More than 40 colleagues braved the elements on Friday 4 October in 11 locations across the country including, Manchester, Gateshead, Reading and London.
Play the RMtv video above to see how they found the experience.
Congratulations to Steve Selby, Ian Taylor, Mark Aspden, Elly Campbell, Julia Bateson, Tim Bulmer, Jason Viller, Kevin Gallagher, Ryan Claydon, Tony McCombe, Tom Moran, Hilary Murray, Caroline Newton-Phillips, Ste Kay, William Shaw, Steven Pickford, David Colman, Tammy Dodds, Vicky Doyle, Mark James, Laura McElroy, Keith Hinde, Lindsay Beresford, Elizabeth Ridley, Roger Turvey, Kirsty Little, Sarah-Jane Bell, Alistair Wood, Amy Liston, Jamie Walton, Hanna Hincke, Scott Kippen, Declan Breen, Mike Gibson, Harrison Leigh, Hayley Fitzgerald, Simon Bull, Alistair Olley, Matthew Bisland, Josh Travers, James Halliwell, Louis Reece Farren, Mayan Christophides and Ann-Marie Pollard-Vearnals, to name just a few colleagues, who between them, have so far, raised well in excess of £15,000.
Anne-Marie, an RMtv presenter, said her experience of Byte Night was both ‘informative and heart-wrenching, especially having children of my own’.
She added: ‘The stories we heard show how much your actions, behaviour and mood can influence and shape a child.
‘When it came to the sleepout there was a real feeling of coming together as a group and sharing of some heartfelt stories as well as laughs! By the time I got into my sleeping bag it was wet just from the moisture in the air. My feet and hands were ice cold and I couldn't warm them up so they kept waking me.
‘There was no chance of getting a good sleep. You could hear noises from the street and other sleepers. There was security there but I still felt mindful of my belongings and even slept on my camera, just in case. By morning, everyone felt humbled to have been given the chance to take part in the experience, to listen to the children and Action for Children’s stories, and to be able to help in our small way by fundraising.
‘The following night I was in Blackpool walking through the lights, soaked to the skin and watching homeless people bed down for the night. I was so grateful that it wasn't me. The experience has really opened my eyes and my heart.’
Data engineer and Byte Night volunteer, Keith Hinde, whose team slept out in Reading, said: ‘As of this morning, my little team have raised just under £3,050 plus gift aid. It was myself and some friends under the banner of tech4pets, which is a not-for-profit company I founded to tackle illegal and unethical pet selling online.’
HR business partner – North East, Sarah-Jane Bell, said: ‘There were 10 of us in total, all from the North East including Ops, Safety, HR and Quality. We slept on the streets of Gateshead for the evening and raised almost £3,500, which after matched funded is included, means £7,000 for Action for Children.’
Lindsay Beresford, HR Director for the North said: ‘We only had a short time to get our team of sleepers together and coordinate our fundraising effort so I’m over the moon at how much money we’ve been able to raise for Action for Children and their fight against youth homelessness. The night itself was chilly and noisy, but also a brilliant, thought-provoking experience and a real team effort!’
