The Countdown to Byte Night in Manchester Begins
The countdown to Manchester’s 2010 Byte Night, which raises money for homeless charity Action for Children, was officially launched by actor David Threlfall of Shameless fame during this year’s Big Chip Awards.
And among the first agencies to pledge its support was Code Computerlove, which raised more than £5.5K for Byte Night last year by spending the night sleeping rough on the streets of Manchester and taking part in a range of fundraising activities – from triathlons to cake selling.
Byte Night is the IT industry’s annual sleep out in support of Action for Children, which this year will take place on 8th October 2010 in Manchester City Centre. Each year hundreds of individuals and teams from across the IT and business community spend a night exposed to the elements in a bid to raise sponsorship and awareness of Action for Children’s work. Manchester is one of five UK cities where sleep outs will take place.
As well as taking part in the event again this year and promising to exceed the amount it raised for Byte Night last year, Code Computerlove is helping Action For Children to recruit other businesses to take part in the sleep out. Individuals and organisations taking part are asked to raise a minimum level of sponsorship, £500 and £2,500 respectively.
Code’s CEO Tony Foggett, who led the agency’s sleep out last year, said: “Byte Night is calling for the good people of the digital and IT world to take part in the sleep out to raise money and awareness to prevent young people from sleeping rough on our streets. Code did it last year, it was fascinating and extremely rewarding. It was windy, cold but surprisingly and mercifully dry.
"Although not a lot of sleep was had; just one night out, well prepared, in sleeping bags and survival sacks really brought home what an ordeal sleeping rough is. Earlier in the evening we met volunteers who had managed to get off the streets and were now helping Action for Children to deliver the vital support to help others to turn their lives around thanks to donations.”
He added: “We’re urging all of our peers to sign up and be there for THE sleeping rough event of the year. We will be doing it again and would really like to share the experience with other folks from the industry. We are really happy to answer any questions about what it was like on the phone if you need convincing, or see our blog for a more in depth description. We’re delighted that we’ve already had commitment from CTI, Cahoona and Stardotstar.”
“Obviously the commitment to this event isn’t just about sleeping rough it is also about raising money. We did this on an individual level and as a company, doing stuff like cooking for everyone, jumble sales, selling donuts, baking you name it.”
Alysha Lawlor, Senior Fundraiser for Action for Children, said: “There are many reasons why children and young people can find themselves vulnerable, without hope or without a safe, secure place to live. Action for Children deals with the issues that can lead to homelessness and helps change lives with vital independence skills, training opportunities and access to employment. Action for Children’s Byte Night aims to raise valuable funds for our services in Manchester.
“We’re grateful that Code Computerlove are supporting us again this year and not only recruiting teams to sleep out but spreading the message about our work.”
