Man's Birmingham sleepout is his 25th for homelessness charity

Zain Rizvi has been taking part in charity sleepouts since he was 14 years old

A man is set to sleep out for the 25th time in aid of a charity helping to prevent youth homelessness.

Zain Rizvi, 39, originally from Birmingham, first took part in the city's "Big Sleepout" as a teenager and has raised about £25,000 for St Basils.

He will once again sleep out at Millennium Point in the city on Friday.

"It's not just about surviving a night outdoors," he said, but understanding the deep-rooted issues" around homelessness".

St Basils works with young people aged 16 to 25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, helping more than 4,000 young people every year across the West Midlands region.

"This will be my 25th year of enduring the freezing temperatures to sleep on the cold, wet, dirty, noisy streets where I'm lucky if I find a patch of tarmac that's a bit 'softer' than the concrete," Mr Rizvi said on his fundraising page.

The management consultant, who lives in London, added: "I'll also have to contend with insects, rats and whatever else lurks at night in a city centre to keep me company."