Byte Night sleep-out a success again

Byte Night, the UK IT industry's annual sleep-out for children's charity NCH, took place last Friday night and was another big success.

Around 200 people took part, raising in the region of £200,000.

James Bennet, European Technology Forum MD and one of the event's organisers for the past few years, said Byte Night had become "a landmark event in the IT calendar".

Given the event is aimed at raising money for the the young who have to sleep rough, often after running away from home, he said: "London at night is noisy and surprisingly light. You got a sense [on Friday] of what it was like to sleep rough - but then we had the option of going back to warm beds at 6:30 a.m."

Simon Burne, director of marketing and fundraising at NCH, dubbed the night "a tremendous success".

Senior industry executives, including UK MDs of HP, Intel and Sun, all took part, setting aside the usual rivalries for a common cause.

One participant told silicon.com: "This is a small thing to do to help. I can't imagine having to sleep out every night."

Byte Night this year took place at Potter's Field, in-between Tower Bridge and the City Hall building. On a night that began with wind and rain participants were sent on their way with a message from Mayor Ken Livingstone and a presentation from actress Jenny Agutter, a long-time Byte Night contributor.