About
CEO Sleepout is a national charity set up to inspire the business community to unite to fight homelessness; raising money for frontline services, helping to change lives.
CEO Sleepout brings business leaders together to make a stand against homelessness.
We do this by holding CEO Sleepout events in cities the length of the UK, from Northumberland to Portsmouth and everywhere in between, raising funds that make a real difference to people facing homelessness in our host cities. To date, we’ve raised a phenomenal +£4.5 Million pounds from +10,000 participants, and donated money to over +200 hard-working charities on the frontline of homelessness, changing countless lives.
Join your fellow business leaders as we unite to fight homelessness
Make valuable connections as we unlock understanding and compassion.
Sleep beneath the stars alongside your peers in the business community.
All you need is a big heart, a sleeping bag, and be wiling to raise big money for a great cause.
How it
all began...
CEO Sleepout has raised £3.8 million at the time of writing for over 100 charities working hard to tackle homelessness in cities across the UK, changing countless lives.
The charity was formed in December 2013 by Andy Preston after two successful sleepout events. These were held at Middlesbrough FC and Newcastle Utd FC in collaboration with Middlesbrough & Teesside Philanthropic Foundation.
Andy Preston had been impressed by the work of Bernie Fehon in Australia, developing a CEO Sleepout event known generally as Vinnies Sleepout. That project has raised many millions of dollars to fund work with and for homelessness in Australia. Bernie is an inspirational man and it was following a conversation with Bernie that Andy Preston created CEO Sleepout events and projects in the UK.
After officially forming CEO Sleepout as a charity registered in England and Wales, Andy Preston, with help from his PA Dianne Gould, set about growing events in cities across England and Wales.
In his spare time and voluntarily, Andy travelled to London, Manchester, Cardiff, Nottingham, Birmingham and Liverpool, building, recruiting for, and hosting CEO Sleepout events. By 2017 the charity had raised over £1.5 million, and Bianca Robinson was brought in to manage and deliver the next period of growth.
In 2020 it became clear that the charity would be limited in its ability to raise funds via events, due to the national lockdowns. Bianca felt strongly that frontline charities supporting people in desperate need would require our support. So the first virtual “at home” sleepout was held, bringing together hundreds of people across the UK to sleep out in their backyards. Virtual sleepouts have since raised > £125,000 to tackle homelessness and hunger during the pandemic.
Since 2022, the CEO Sleepout has seen further growth, incorporating events in more cities from Portsmouth to Northumberland, and many in between, in venues such as Lord’s Cricket Ground, Leeds Castle Kent, Christ College Oxford, Edgbaston, Emirates Old Trafford, St James’ Park, and - where it all began - The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough.
What we offer
Join a CEO Sleepout
Join a CEO Sleepout in a city near you. Spend an unforgettable night beneath the stars alongside your fellow business leaders, unlocking understanding, compassion and raising big funds to fight homelessness.
Sponsor a CEO Sleepout
Get your brand in front of business leaders with a conscience. By sponsoring one or a series of CEO Sleepout events, you'll demonstrate your commitment to social value and make real impact.
Become a corporate partner
Rally your team behind this important cause whilst demonstrating your commitment to creating long-term social value.
By partnering with CEO Sleepout you'll show your customers you care.
Big Virtual Sleepout
Fight homelessness from your own backyard! Join a scheduled virtual sleepout, or host your own! Spend a night outdoors, somewhere safe, whilst raising funds for those who need it most.
Big Corporate Sleepout
Are you an organisation with a large UK workforce? Hold your own Sleepout, run virtually by us! Rally your workforce around the cause while they sleep out from their home or workplace, raising funds to fight homelessness.
Big Student Sleepout
Student Unions! Hold a Big Student Sleepout at your University. A great way to get students involved during RAG week, as you unite behind a call to end homelessness and fundraise for a great cause.
