First Byte Night Wales Sleep Out Raises £30k

• Welsh business people slept outdoors to help prevent homelessness for children and young people
• Action for Children’s Byte Night has raised over £8m since 1998

Action for Children’s first Byte Night Wales sleep out event has raised over £30k to support the charity’s work in preventing homelessness and providing children and young people with a safe place to call home.

Business professionals from across Wales spent the night sleeping out at Cardiff’s Prinicpality Stadium. They joined more than 1,200 people across the UK – at simultaneous sleep outs in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh London, Manchester, Newcastle  and Reading  – who bedded out for the evening.

Since launching in 1998 Byte Night has raised over £8m. One of the projects which has benefited from this funding in Wales is such as the Rhondda Cynon Taf youth support team that helps young people with homelessness issues and develop life skills to help that difficult transition from child to adult.

Head of IT at Acorn and Byte Night Wales chair, David Sadler said: “The first Byte Night Wales was a great event and we are all extremely proud to have raised more than £30k.

“I am so proud we brought Byte Night to Wales, helping to raise money and awareness to support Action for Children’s services. It is fantastic that the business and tech community in Wales has shown such an appetite for making Byte Night a success.

“Now we have lit that fire, we are already counting down to next year’s event. We urge the tech sector in Wales to make it their New Year’s Resolution to join us for Byte Night 2017.”

Action for Children Chief Executive Sir Tony Hawkhead, who slept out in Birmingham, added: “A huge thanks to everyone that slept out as part of this year’s Byte Night. It has been such an inspirational night with a great sense of camaraderie, and truly moving to see small and larger businesses from across the region working together to make a real difference to the children, young people and families we support.

“We already have big plans for next year’s event and registrations are now open, so please join one of the biggest annual fundraiser’s in the UK and help us provide essential support to those who need it the most.”

Teams from companies including Acorn, BT, Capital Networks, Spindogs, KPMG, Barclays, Cardiff Start, Conduit Global, and Capgemini and many others took part in the sleep out. To find out more about Byte Night please visit bytenight.org.uk