150 BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS SLEEP ROUGH IN CARDIFF TO PREVENT YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

150 PROFESSIONALS SLEEP ROUGH IN CARDIFF TO PREVENT YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

Over 150 business people will brave the cold for a night at the 3rd Wales ‘Byte Night’ sleepout, to raise money for children’s charity Action for Children.

Teams from businesses across Wales including BT, Barclays, Spindogs, KPMG, Acorn, Admiral, Source Insurance and Capital Gemini will be facing the elements at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff this Friday (5 October), joining over 1,600 others simultaneously sleeping out across 12 locations up and down the UK.

Organisers are this year hoping to raise a record-breaking £1.6 million nationally in support of Action for Children services such as the Wellbeing Project in Caerphilly that supports families who suffer with low motivation, low mood, anxiety, depression, social isolation or traumatic life experiences.

Co-chair of the Wales Byte Night board, David Sadler, said: “Spending the night braving the biting cold is a challenge. But in the morning, everyone taking part will be able to go home, take a shower and sleep in a comfortable bed. Sadly, there are too many vulnerable young people in Wales for whom this simply isn’t possible.

“No child or young person should have to face the trauma of homelessness – they shouldn’t be sofa surfing, they shouldn’t be in B&Bs, and they certainly shouldn’t be on the streets. This a critical issue in our region, as it is across the country, and Byte Night is a chance to support some of the young people in our society who need it most.

“One night really can make a lifetime’s difference and funds raised will help us support children and young people to have a safe and loving home.”

Action for Children’s national director for Wales, Brigitte Gater, said: “Our critical work with vulnerable young people and families helps to prevent the tragedy of homelessness by tackling the issues that can lead to young people ending up on the streets.

“From individual support for teenagers to working with families who are facing difficulties, our frontline services can prevent problems from spiralling out of control and keep children and young people safe and cared for. Any young people worried about their family situation can come to us for help at actionforchildren.org.uk’

WHAT: Over 150 people from Welsh businesses will sleep rough for one night to raise funds for Action for Children at the 3rd Byte Night Wales
WHERE: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, RG1 3HW
WHEN: 1800 Friday 5 October to 0700 Saturday 6 October

EVENT TIMINGS:
1800 to 2300 – Evening reception including dinner, speeches, quiz, live auction and presentations
0000 – teams bed down for the night.
0600 – teams wake

To find out more about Byte Night, visit bytenight.org.uk or contact the Byte Night team on bytenight@actionforchildren.org.uk