Editor's Blog: When CIO becomes Charity Illumination Officer

The annual Byte Night sleep out in aid of Action for Children took place last Friday, on a cold but thankfully dry night. The evening has raised a great amount of money for a fantastic cause, and shown that the IT industry can rise to the occasion when needed.

It's now in its 10th year and has grown from a small start to being an event that can really help Action for Children in its vital work. What really struck me however was the value of Byte Night's awareness-raising element.

I slept out for the first time this year, and it's amazing how quickly the experience of being homeless starts to affect you. Even in a fenced-off area surrounded by colleagues, it was easy to start feeling vulnerable sleeping out.

Warmly dressed, wrapped up in a sleeping bag and a tucked up in a waterproof bivvy-bag I might have been dry and relatively comfortable, but I certainly didn't feel at home.

And I probably didn't look great the next day as I waited for the tube, but I was very conscious of the people who looked at me in my bedraggled state, spotted my sleeping bag and started making their own judgements. I certainly didn't feel like going to work the next day after four hours sleep, just going home to bed.

And that was after one night. I can't imagine how it feels to have to do that every night, in far, far worse conditions. And that's what makes Byte Night such an important cause to be involved with, and why sleeping out on the night is a vital part of it.

But don't just take it from me. The silicon.comrades team of CIOs have done an amazing job of raising funds for Byte Night, having already raised £6,000 for Action for Children. If you want to contribute you can find their fundraising page here.

I asked the team, all members of the silicion.com CIO Jury, to give me their thoughts on how the evening went.

Steve Clarke, director, systems and operations at AOL Broadband said: "When it came to the night, it's an experience I will never forget for many reasons, but in particular the first hand experience of sleeping outside in the relative cold (three degrees) - albeit in lots of clothes and a sleeping bag - brought home to me just how important it is to make homeless children a fact of the past.

"I think that's why I would recommend to anyone that they should take part, it's one night out of 365 that you will be uncomfortable, possibly cold, possibly damp, but in turn you will greatly reduce the 365 nights that many children will sleep in even less comfort than you will on that single night of the year.

"And if fundraising is daunting, as I found it was at first, it's easy once you get in to the mindset and whilst many people won't offer you massive sums, every little bit counts and occasionally you'll pull a big one out of the hat. Will I be doing it again next year? I hope so!"

Nic Evans, European IT director at Key Equipment Finance, added: "The sleep-out itself brought home to me what sleeping rough must be like. We had a warm meal, a bivvy bag, and coffee and security through the night. The young people have none of these.

"What really made the evening for me was the sponsorship and support we got. Altogether the 350 sleepers on Byte Night should raise £500,000. Some way from the first Byte Night 10 years ago when 30 sleepers raised £30,000. And the challenge for me is to raise more for next year."

Graham Benson, IT Director at M and M Direct, said: "What a great experience! Action for Children do a fantastic job helping kids that have been victims of some form of social malaise, and to hear testimonials from some of the kids themselves was very moving. I was proud to contribute something to the cause albeit in a small way. It was not a particularly pleasant night but it was dry and the experience only lasted for eight hours - whereas for those poor kids it is their life."

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