Phil's rough night raises £1,000 for homeless charity

Phil Morris, head of acquisitions and distribution at wealth management firm Gale and Phillipson, has so far raised more than £1,000 after taking part in the CEO SleepoutUK at St James’ Park, Newcastle.

Phil, who lives in South Shields, gave up his home comforts and braved the icy temperatures to join around 80 chief executives and senior business people with just a sleeping bag and warm clothes for the night to experience what it’s really like to sleep rough. He was supported by a range of local charities that address homelessness, including Changing Lives and Newcastle United Foundation.

In Newcastle alone, more than 2,000 people are at risk of homelessness.

Phil said: “Homelessness is a huge problem here in the North East and I felt I had to get involved by giving up my home comforts for just one night. Without a doubt, it was both tough and cold but it’ll be nothing compared to what many homeless people face every single night of the year.

“The Newcastle Sleepout usually raises £50,000 for local charities, which is brilliant. I’m still aiming to raise as much money as I can because helping homeless people is something that I really believe in and I want to support the many amazing local charities we have here in the North East and it’s still not too late to donate.”

He added: “The shocking truth is that we could all find ourselves in a difficult situation, and fall into difficult times. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have a job and family as a back-up if things don’t go to plan.”

To donate to Phil’s JustGiving page, please visit (https://www.justgiving.com/Phil-Morris10