Kettering residents to sleep in Wicksteed Park to fundraise for charity

Accommodation Concern in Kettering said it had scaled up operations as need increased

People will sleep outside to raise funds for a homeless charity that had seen "unprecedented" demand.

Kettering based Accommodation Concern will host the event at Wicksteed Park, Northamptonshire, from 20:00 GMT on Friday until 07:00 on Saturday.

Temperatures could drop to -2C for the event and about £3,000 had already been raised.

John Perry from the charity said participants could "sample" what rough sleepers experienced.

The event would be held for the first time in Wicksteed Park

Mr Perry said the charity had "scaled up" its operation due to demand for advice and the supported accommodation it provided.

"Homelessness is much, much bigger than rough sleeping ultimately," he said.

"If you were looking at the homelessness stats in Northampton, there's 1,320 currently in temporary accommodation that aren't classed as statutory homeless.

"Rough sleeping is a tiny, tiny piece of the homeless jigsaw."

He continued: "[The sleepout] is about having a sample of that, so people can be as brave as they want to and either sleep inside or outside in their sleeping bags."

Participants have paid £10 to enter and have each pledged to raise at least £100. A quiz night has also been arranged as a separate fundraising effort.