What is Byte Night?

Watch Hollie's emotional account
of her experience living rough

Hear Sawat's account of his experience
on the streets

Watch Jay's emotional account
of his experience
on the streets

See Ken Deeks discuss the origins
of Byte Night


Byte Night is the IT industry's annual sleep out in support of Action for Children. This year the event is celebrating 15 years of IT professionals changing young people's lives. Each year hundreds of individuals and teams from across the technology and business community spend a night exposed to the elements in a bid to raise sponsorship and awareness of Action for Children's work to help prevent youth homelessness. Action for Children helps to prevent youth homelessness through early intervention by ensuring that young people across the UK are given the support they need before it's too late.

It all began 15 years ago when 30 individuals from the IT industry slept out and raised £35,000. Since then the event has grown to over 1000 sleepers taking part each year, raising over £950,000 in 2012 alone across the UK. On the 15th anniversary in 2012 Byte Night has now raised an amazing £5.2 million since it began in 1998.

To find out more about Action for Children's work to help prevent youth homelessness, please click here.

For a short summary on the Byte Night sleep out and the work and young people that it helps to support, download the Byte Night Summary Presentation. Why not share this with your friends, family and colleagues to encourage them to sponsor you?

Changing Lives

By supporting Byte Night you are helping Action for Children tackle the root causes of homelessness, keeping vulnerable young people off the streets and enabling them to build better lives with access to education and training opportunities.

Here are the stories from some of the young people Action for Children have been able to support thanks to the dedication of Byte Night sleepers.

Read David's Story

When I was 10 I would throw tantrums because of my family problems. I kept it bottled up for years and years and years. I only told my father... Read more

Read Lesley's Story

When Lesley came to the Prep for Life project she was at a very low point. She had had to sleep rough the previous evening and was tired and dishevelled... Read more

Backed by Byte Night

Thanks to your fundraising, Byte Night is able to support hundreds of children and young people through Action for Children's projects. Here are some projects that Byte Night has funded to tell us more about the work they do with some of the most vulnerable children, young people and families in the UK.

Click here to view our interactive map