An additional 700 people joined the 76,000 under 25's who slept 'rough' on Friday night thanks to Byte Night, founded 10 years ago by Ken Deeks and James Bennet to raise money for Action for Children.
Once again, we gathered our sleeping bags and slept under the stars for the night to remind ourselves just how uncomfortable it is to face the elements. I was with the Thames Valley group and we were lucky with the weather - it was cloudy but dry. The Edinburgh group really earned their sponsorship as they suffered rain and gale force winds. That said, we enjoyed a good meal (thanks Oracle), were fortified by decent wine and slipped into warm sleeping bags in a safe location with tea and coffee available through the night. We were woken at 6am to the smell of bacon rolls and coffee. Not really much like the circumstances that the other 76,000 faced on Friday night and look forward to every night throughout the winter. Many of them spent the night cold, hungry and scared.
One of the key aspects of the evening is listening to the harrowing stories of how these youngsters find themselves on the street through no fault of their own following family breakdown or abuse which, in these difficult financial times, are getting worse. So I make no apologies for asking you again to dig deep and contribute to this worthy cause at www.justgiving.com/paoga because, no matter how tight your finances are at the moment, you are warm, fed and safe by comparison. Your support will really help and be truly appreciated. Many thanks.
