Vodafone staff's rough night boosts charity funds

Vulnerable children's charity coffers receive £24,600

A SALES team from Vodafone in Newbury recently slept rough to help raise a total of £24,600 for a children’s charity.

The 24-strong team recently spent a night sleeping outside at Reading’s Forbury Gardens in aid of the charity Action for Children, alongside 180 others and more than 1,500 at simultaneous sleep-outs countrywide, as part of the charity’s Byte Night.

Director at Vodafone Global Ivo Rook said: “I’m very proud to have taken part in Byte Night 2015, along with my Northern European sales team.

“We thought it important for us to endure and understand for ourselves the tragic hardship that too many children and young people suffer.”

Over the past six months, the Vodafone team’s other fundraisers for the charity have included cake sales, an office raffle and a silent auction.

Thanking Mr Rook and his team, the chairwoman of the Thames Valley Byte Night board, Sally Hanson, said: “Although it was a hard night there was a strong sense of camaraderie.

“The difference is we return to warm homes, full fridges and cosy beds in the morning. For many young people living in the UK this simply isn’t the case.”

The Thames Valley leg of the national sleep-out is on target to raise £130,000 for local services – including Here4Me in Newbury, which provides vulnerable young people with independent visitors, mentors and advocates.

Since launching in 1998, the charity’s Byte Night has raised more than £8m and Action for Children hopes this year’s event will raise more than £1.2m nationally to support its work with vulnerable children, young people and families.

To donate, find out more or to register for the 2016 Byte Night, visit www.bytenight.org.uk, or email: by tenight@actionforchildren.org.uk