CEO Sleepout UK is a charity that raises money to fight homelessness and poverty across the UK. Money is raised by business executives being sponsored to sleep rough for a night. CEO Sleepout was formed in December 2013 by

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

-based businessman Andy Preston, who is chairman of the charity, following a conversation with Bernie Fehon of Australia who created and organises similar projects there known as the 'Vinnies CEO Sleepout'. The first sleepout was held outside the

Riverside Stadium The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough since it opened in 1995. Its current capacity is 34,742, all seated, although there is provisional planning permission in place t ...

Middlesbrough Football Club Middlesbrough Football Club ( ) is a professional football club in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadiu ...

and the second inside

St James’ Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Park ...

, home of

Newcastle United Football Club Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

. Since then events have been held at numerous locations including

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

Old Trafford Cricket Ground Old Trafford is a cricket ground in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1857 as the home of Manchester Cricket Club and has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. From 2013 onwards it has been known as ...

and

Cardiff Castle Cardiff Castle ( cy, Castell Caerdydd) is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top ...

, raising nearly £800,000. More than 90 businesspeople took part in a Wembley event in October 2014, which helped to raise funds for the Cardinal Hume Centre and DePaul UK. DePaul UK is part of

Society of Saint Vincent de Paul The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...

. At a second London event in 2015, £180,000 was raised in what represented the biggest CEO Sleepout event to date. Just before Christmas 2016 CEO Sleepout opened a not-for-profit restaurant in Middlesbrough, The Fork in the Road, which gave training and employment opportunities to the long-term unemployed including ex-offenders and recovering addicts, working alongside experienced catering professionals. Bar Zero, a dry bar for the recovery community, opened upstairs from The Fork in the Road early in 2017. Funds from the restaurant are planned to give support to Bar Zero. In June 2017, news broke that The Fork in the Road was now No 1 restaurant in Middlesbrough, as rated by reviewers on Tripadvisor. The restaurant then announced plans for Sunday dinner with a difference, served up by prisoners from the nearby HMP Kirklevington Grange as part of its policy of creating opportunities for those in society in need of a second chance. In September 2017 Preston admitted he no longer had the time to run the restaurant and announced that athlete Matty Hynes would take over as general manager of The Fork in the Road. As with many of the charity's events, Andy Preston himself took part in the third sleepout to be held on Teesside in May 2016 when about 60 local businesspeople slept rough at

Preston Park, Stockton-on-Tees Preston Park (officially Preston Hall Park) is a public park in Preston-on-Tees, England. It hosts multiple events each year and is located next to the River Tees. Parking is free, but the Preston Park Museum & Grounds and Butterfly World h ...

Museum in Eaglescliffe, raising £45,000. In 2016 the charity announced a partnership with the UK arm of international business Leesa, a company with a significant track record of philanthropy, donating one mattress to charity for every 10 they sell. In November 2016, CEO Sleepout achieved the milestone of £1 million raised. CEO Sleepout UK is a sister charity of Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation.

References

{{Homelessness Charities based in North Yorkshire