Byte Night adds Belfast to its list of locations

Action for Children has announced it will be bringing Byte Night, the technology industry's annual fundraising event in aid of youth homelessness, to Northern Ireland for the first time this autumn.

The charity sleep out, which takes place on 5th October 2012 and raises vital funds for Action for Children's work in tackling the root causes of youth homelessness, is adding Belfast to list of locations alongside Cambridge, Edinburgh, London and Thames Valley, due to rising demand from sleepers. Organisers hope the new addition will help the event smash through the £5 million fundraising mark.

Since registration opened Byte Night has recruited  more than 850 sleepers to take part in this year's event - a 44 per cent increase on the same time last year. It also means it is less than 200 sleepers away from achieving its target of 1000 sleepers in 2012. In Northern Ireland event organisers are hoping to recruit 50 sleepers in a bid to raise £25,000.

Action for Children fundraising manager Helen Quigley said: "Byte Night is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year and adding Belfast to its list of locations. We're no longer just a London-based event; the regional support Byte Night receives is phenomenal.

Each location is managed by its own Board - a stellar cast of senior names from the technology and business worlds all working together to help keep vulnerable young people off the streets and enable them to build better lives for themselves. In Northern Ireland our thanks go to Mark Nagurski and Digital Derry, and also to the organisers of CultureTECH who have announced Byte Night as their chosen charity this year."

All funds raised by Byte Night go to Action for Children, a charity that supports the fight against youth homelessness and neglect. Since its inception in 1998, Byte Night has raised more than £4 million, providing vital support to projects across the UK that offer safe and secure accommodation to vulnerable children and young people at risk of homelessness.

Byte Night 2012 will take place at the Belfast Activity Centre, Barnett's Demesne, Belfast on 5th October 2012. Sign up to sleep-out now at http://www.bytenight.org.uk or contact Dawn@auroraevents.co.uk