Partner Article

Byte of the action for North East IT firms

Local software experts Bond are urging the North East IT community to join them for a night to remember, in aid of homeless young people and those at risk of becoming homeless.

Derek Curtis of Bond in Sunderland is organising a North East Byte Night on 31 October in aid of Action for Children (formerly NCH), a charity that supports vulnerable and excluded children and young people including those who have recently left care or are homeless.

Byte Night is the IT industry’s annual sleep out in support of Action for Children. Each year hundreds of individuals and teams from the technology and IT industries spend a night exposed to the elements in a bid to raise sponsorship and awareness of Action for Children’s work.

The event began ten years ago when 30 individuals from the IT industry slept out and raised £35,000. The event has grown since then, raising almost £400,000 in 2007 alone.

Derek is aiming to get a minimum of 30 members of the North East digital industry on board for his inaugural event on Friday 31 October, in the hope that a large scale Byte Night can be organised here by Action for Children in 2009.

Derek said: “When I heard of the idea of Byte Night I thought it sounded great fun, and as a foster carer myself I think the issues of youth homelessness and leaving care are great to support in any way we can.

“The North East’s digital industry employs many hundreds of people, so I’m sure we can round up at least 30 individuals prepared to join us for the night, have a laugh and experience one night of sleeping ‘rough’ to raise money for charity.”

Bond’s Byte Night event will take place at The Fisherman’s Lodge in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle from 8.30pm on October 31. To get involved please request your Sleeper Pack of information, by contacting Derek Curtis at derek.curtis@bond-solutions.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .