150 PROFESSIONALS SLEEP ROUGH IN CARDIFF TO PREVENT YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

Around 150 business people from over 20 Welsh companies faced the elements on Friday night (5 October), as they slept out for the Wales ‘Byte Night’ sleep out, to raise money for children’s charity Action for Children.

Teams from across Wales including BT, Barclays, Spindogs, KPMG, Acorn, Admiral, Source Insurance and Capital Gemini braved the cold at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, joining over 1,600 others simultaneously sleeping out across 12 locations up and down the UK.

Organisers are on target 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.

The evening began with a quiz and auction hosted by Capital FM’s Polly James and broadcaster Rhydian Bowen Phillips and included stories from young people Action for Children support before the sleepers headed outside to bed down for the night.

The sleepers were joined by Action for Children CEO Julie Bentley who had been on a marathon UK tour of Byte Night sleep outs taking in Glasgow, Manchester and Cardiff before heading to London to serve breakfast to weary sleepers.

Chair of the Wales Byte Night board, Jeremy Thomas, said: “I’d like to say a huge thank you and well done to everyone who braved the biting cold to raise funds for vulnerable children. It was a big challenge, but in the morning, everyone went home to their warm beds – and there are too many vulnerable young people in Wales for whom this is impossible.

“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

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