MORE than £15,000 was raised for disadvantaged children in the region as business executives gave up their beds for charity.

Forty people braved wet and windy conditions on Friday to take part in North-East Byte Night, an event which encouraged business people to sleep rough for one night to experience what it is like to be homeless.

The event took place at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts, in Gateshead, and was in support of Action for Children, a charity which so far this year has helped more than 19,000 young people affected by poverty, disability, abuse or neglect.

North-East Byte Night was organised by a board consisting of Derek Curtis and Jerri Murtagh, of Bond Solutions, Codeworks Connect board member Andy Walton, Nigel Begg, of Aspire Technology Solutions, and Andrew Fisk, of Tagish – all of whom are hoping to make it an annual event.

Mr Begg said: “Events like this are vital to ensure that Action for Children can continue its work.

“To raise over £15,000 is a fantastic achievement, so thank you to everyone who was involved.”

To register interest for North-East Byte Night 2010, email bytenight@bondsolutions.com