Byte Night partners with Berkeley PR to support Thames Valley event
Reading-based agency volunteers its services to support local charity
Reading, UK, 03 September 2013 – Byte Night, the IT industry’s annual ‘sleep out’ event in support of Action for Children, has partnered with Reading-based PR agency, Berkeley PR to provide its support for its Thames Valley event. Kicking off in April this year, Berkeley PR has been tasked with raising awareness and helping to increase sleeper numbers for the event in Reading, which takes place on October 4th 2013.
With 100,000 young people estimated to be homeless in the UK last year, Byte Night encourages teams from the technology sector and supporting organisations to spend a night exposed to the elements, to raise funds to tackle the root causes of youth homelessness. As well as providing their skills and expertise on a pro-bono basis, Berkeley PR will also be partaking in Byte Night Thames Valley, with the aim of raising £3,000 for Action for Children.
Ken Deeks, Reading businessman and Founder of Byte Night, comments: “Byte Night has become a renowned event in the technology community; however regional PR support is vital to enable the event to continually grow. Berkeley PR has done a fantastic job in promoting the event within the Thames Valley area to-date and we are glad to have them onboard as a valued media partner.”
Paul Stallard, MD of Berkeley PR commented “We are delighted to partner with Byte Night and to support this brilliant charity event. I hope our approach to storytelling can help ensure Byte Night smashes its targets this year. I’m sure this is the first of many years working together.”
Byte Night, Thames Valley, which takes place this year at Forbury Gardens, Reading, will see Berkeley PR joined by a host of leading business figures from companies such as, Microsoft, Dell, SAP and HP to confront the cold and dismal autumn weather. This will be the sixth anniversary of the Thames Valley event, which successfully raised £158,000 for Action for Children last year.
Byte Night ‘sleep outs’ will also take place across the UK in Belfast, Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, London, Manchester and Thames Valley. Last year, hundreds of sleepers took part to help raise a total of £950,000 for Action for Children. This year, Byte Night have set their sights even higher with a fundraising target of £1 million.
If you would like to sponsor Berkeley PR please feel free to donate on our official online Virgin Giving page. Alternatively, if you are feeling brave and want to get involved in the UK’s biggest corporate sleep out then please sign up at http://www.bytenight.org/
About Berkeley PR
Berkeley PR helps fast-growing technology, consumer and B2B companies get the recognition they deserve, both online and offline.
Established in 1988 and based in Reading, the agency specialises in creating newsworthy ideas that resonate with target audiences. Berkeley PR can also offer global PR services through its Berkeley 360 division, an independent network of partner agencies.
For further information, please visit our website at http://www.berkeleypr.co.uk and blog at http://www.berkeleypr.co.uk/blog/.
Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/BerkeleyPR
About Byte Night
Byte Night is the technology industry’s annual ‘sleep out’ in support of Action for Children. Each year hundreds of individuals and teams from across the IT and business community spend a night exposed to the elements in a bid to raise sponsorship and awareness of Action for Children’s work, who focus heavily on supporting homeless young people.
It all began 16 years ago when 30 individuals from the IT industry slept out and raised £35,000. Since then the event has grown to over 1000 sleepers taking part each year, raising an amazing £5.2 million since it began.
The Thames Valley Byte Night will be taking place Friday 4th October in Forbury Gardens, Reading and Byte Night is looking for volunteers not only to give up their time and their bed for the night to raise money, but to get a feel for what some people have to go through every day. http://www.bytenight.org.uk/
About Action for Children
Action for Children is committed to helping the most vulnerable and neglected children and young people break through injustice, deprivation and inequality, so they can achieve their full potential. As one of the UK’s largest children’s charities, they work with over 250,000 children and young people at 600 services across the UK.
Action for Children works to prevent youth homelessness through early intervention by ensuring that young people across the UK are given the support they need before it’s too late. With your support Action for Children can help thousands more young people to build better lives by providing essential support, accommodation, education and training.
