Byte Night - the IT industry at the heart of the community

This year's IT industry Byte Night sleep-out on behalf of the homeless is expected to have raised close to £300,000.

Senior executives from some of the biggest technology businesses were sponsored to spend the night in London's Finsbury Square.

Their efforts are expected to have brought the total raised over the five years of the event to almost £1m.

Among the sleepers was ecommerce minister Stephen Timms.

He praised the intiative as 'a great example of corporate social responsibility in the IT industry'.

One of the organisers of this years event, James Bennet, of the European Technology Forum said: "This was our most successful Byte Night.

"What was particularly gratifying was the number of senior executives who joined us from our industry. Most of them have pledged support next year."

Celebrity participants included actress Jenny Agutter and Graham Cole, the Bill's PC Tony Stamp.

Tony Manwaring, NCH's director of external affairs: 'The fantastic support of the IT industry has made the fifth year of Byte Night a real success story.

"All the money raised will help the young people supported by NCH's leaving care and homelessness projects to get the opportunity for a fresh start and ensure they reach their full potential.

"This event is a great example of what can be achieved through industry-wide corporate social responsibility and we hope that it will inspire more corporates to find out more about our work in this field."

Computing was represented on the night by editor Michael Gubbins.

"The event shows the commitment of this industry to wider society. Byte Night next year can get bigger yet, becoming one of the great examples of UK business acting in the community."

NCH helps the children who need it the most, and is one of the UK's leading children's charities.

Through more than 480 projects, it supports more than 98,000 vulnerable children, young people and their families, to ensure they reach their full potential.

For more information on getting involved in Byte Night, email tonym@nch.org.uk

Don't be a bystander

Byte Night founder Ken Deeks made this moving speech to Byte Night sleepers on the night.

BYTE Night is now is in its fifth year.

With local authority funding - multiplying charity funds raised by five times - this total will rise to £5m.

That's right - through your efforts we have raised £5m for vulnerable children through this one event.

That is an amazing achievement and it is all down to you, because as sleepers here tonight you are all very special, and I'll tell you why.

About three months ago I was walking down Regent Street.

I noticed ahomesless youth ambling towards me with a bottle of alcohol in his hand.

This was at 11am. He suddenly veered into the road and lay down in front of a bus which was waiting to pull into the traffic. He just lay there.

I looked around - surely there was someone who could help this poor lad.

But no, every one just walked on by as if they hadn't noticed him.

The bus driver looked bored - obviously to him it was just yet another homeless kid lying in the road - happens every day.

Then I realised I was doing what everyone else was doing - I was waiting for someone else to help. Well, someone else wasn't going to help.

It was down to me.

So, finally, two of us - I had been joined by someone else by this time - helped him up and brought him to the kerbside, said some kindly words and, well then left him.

I kept an eye on him - he walked back in front of the bus and lay in the middle of the road again.

We helped him up again. Then he began to cry. And I mean cry. He howled. I have never heard anything like it before.

It came from the pit of his stomach.

It was like he was crying for the first time in years - it was a cry of anquish, a cry of desperation, a cry of utter despair.

You know, sometimes you hear people say that these kids want to be homeless, they bring it on themselves - if someone had said that, right at that point,well I'm not sure what I would have done.

So we did the best we could for him. Luckily I had now been joined by aman dressed as an orange.

A Mr Britvic promotional man who gave him someorange juice and helped him along in what was now something like a very surreal scene from a Mike Leigh film - a helpless homeless man being helped by another man dressed as an orange.

Somehow it seemed very grotesque.

I walked on feeling very, very helpless. And I was cross with myself.Cross because I knew that I had waited for someone else to help.

I startedto think about why I had waited and I came across a piece of research which uncovered something which has been called The Bystander Problem.

What this reveals is that if I had been the only person in Regents St, thelikelihood is that I would have immediately gone to his aid.

But, because I was in a group of people, my first instinct was to wait for someone else to help. For most of the people in that group it didn't even register that they needed to help.

Someone else would.

And if they didn't, well it just went to show thatthey did the right thing in not helping because no-one was helping.Tonight, there are no bystanders. NCH and its excellent people - Alison,Clare, Sam, Suzanne, Luke - didn't look around for another charity to runByte Night.

James Bennet and Steve Darbyshire didn't wait for someone elseto join the committee to help organise the event. Ana and Alistair atKaizo didn't wait for someone else to help with the PR for the event.

Andmost importantly, you - the sleepers tonight - didn't hope that someone else will do it, that it's not your problem.

You're doing this because you know it is a problem we all share - if we don't help our vulnerable children, then who will?

By being here tonight you have said that you are not prepared to be likethe majority of the people in this country; that you are NOT prepared tobe a bystander; that you are here because you care enough to want to do something.

And I know I speak for every child that benefits from the tremendous work that NCH does, when I say thankyou from the absolute bottom of my heart - THANKYOU for caring enough NOT to be a bystander.

Young and homeless - The facts

It is estimated that a fifth of 16-24 year olds will experience homelessness at some point in their lives.

Care leavers are hugely over-represented among homeless youth, they are 60 times more likely to be homeless than other young people.

The number of young people leaving home due to family problems is increasing.

Of all vulnerable young people, those leaving care face the biggest risks. Most families continue to provide support to their children until they reach at least 18 and often for many years after. However, young people who live with foster carers or in residential homes tend to leave care when they are just 16 with no support for their future.

The vast majority of young people who end up sleeping rough, or living in unsuitable, short-term accommodation, do not choose to be homeless.

Many come from poor or disrupted backgrounds. Some escape from abuse, others from violence. Many have been in care. Unable to live at home, most find they cannot afford decent accommodation and too often they are not given priority for local authority housing either.

The street, in some cases, is the only place to go.

How NCH Helps

NCH believes that young people who leave the care system or who leave home when they are very young should continue to receive support.

It provides:

* Help with finding accommodation, be it supported lodgings with a family or a flat from a housing association.

* Emotional support, just like a good parent.

* Help in accessing training programmes, local college courses, and employment opportunities.

* Guidance on everything from CV writing to sexual health issues.

Basic skills, such as managing on a low budget, cooking healthy meals, and maintaining hygiene.

* Advice on benefits entitlement.

Links

www.nch.org.uk

www.euro-techforum.com

Thanks for the support, says Computing editor

The real credit for Byte Night's success must go to the sponsors as well as the organisers and particpants, says Computing editor Michael Gubbins.

He said his first time as a sleeper at the event was inspirational.

"The IT community has proved that it can see beyond its immediate economic difficulties to major social issues in society."

He said he wanted to thank all his sponsors, beginning with principal backer PR and marketing company Firefly (www.firefly.com).

He was also supported by: VNU Business publications, staff at Computing, IT Week, Accountancy Age, VNU Newsnet, Prosperity4, Neil.Taylor@firstearth.co.uk, Steve King, Steve Robson, Gwyn Laskey, Peter Davies, Collette Wells, Alex Akindele, Hassan Bodalbhai of SASS, Victoria, Sarah and AndreaNorthern Lights

Glen Forde, Arthur Chiles, Paul Norris, James Timmons, JHDC.NET Ltd (Tom McKillop MD), Eve Gay, John Stretton, John Leonard, Mike Bishop, David Robinson, Arthur Wraight, Tim Collins, Gareth Thomas, Iwan Morgan, Peter Langton, Pauline Woods-Wilson, Peter Dovey, Ruth Wood, Amanda Dorrington, Graham West

John Wooltorton, Alistair Johnson of INTERGRAPH, Tony Minter, Bob Brittain, Phil Ryan, Peter Weeks, Ash Sharma, Gerard Conaghan, Ian Smith, Amanda Akien

, Carl Garrood of Sorva Ltd, Wayne Dawber, Ray Saddington, Ben Smith, John Pollard, Phillipa Nicholson, Richard Fisker

John Stretton,Banky Ogunlola, Brett Hollis, Elizabeth Meekins, Liz Milne, Colin Janes, John Butler, john.horton, Daniel Carlen,

Henry Goodman, Neil Fisher, Dave Foulkes, Joy Charnley, Mark Berry of Arelon, Mark A Charsley of LANkind (UK) Limited, John Gary Clinton, Roger Boak, Ahad Bhunnoo, Edward Bodiam,

Geoff Beeson, Jon Veness, Chris Adams, Hassan Adeniyi Animasaun, Amie Richmond of Ensign Consulting (UK) Ltd, Joanne Hurst, Tosh Bruce-Morgan.