More than 70 people in senior leadership positions at Manchester businesses have signed up for an event which will see them sleep outside to help the homeless.
The CEO Sleepout event will see participants sleep outside for one night at Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground on November 4 from 8pm.
Deloitte LLP partner Tim Grogan, partner at law firm BLM Steve Kuncewicz and Gear4Music operations director Anne-Marie O鈥橬eill are among those committed to take part.
Partaking business leaders are challenged to raise 拢1,000 each as a minimum or make a donation from their business.
Bianca Robinson, the chief executive of the CEO Sleepout charity, said: 鈥淭hey come down with a sleeping bag, with lots of warm layers, and they鈥檒l spend the night outside at Old Trafford as well as fundraising in the lead up to that.鈥
The raised funds are split between the CEO Sleepout 海角视频 charity itself and local charities working 鈥渙n the front line of homeless and poverty鈥, including Lancashire CCC Foundation, Walking With the Wounded, MASH Manchester, Mustard Tree, Back on Track and the Manchester City Mission.
Ms Robinson said the event is very much 鈥渘o frills鈥.
She said: 鈥淲e鈥檒l hear from a charity, we鈥檒l hear from somebody affected, there might be a little panel discussion but it鈥檚 very informal.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 bang them over the head with a sledgehammer, but when they hear what the charities that support homeless people are doing, they can go away and think about that and can go away and think about what they can do in their business to help reduce inequality.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very important to tell the human story behind it because that鈥檚 how you unlock the empathy so our goal is to unlock the empathy and compassion as well as raising the big funds.鈥
She stressed the event doesn鈥檛 not and 鈥渘ever will come close to what it鈥檚 like to someone sleeping rough鈥.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not trying to emulate what it鈥檚 like to sleep rough, we鈥檙e just trying to gauge some insight and understanding and raise the money, that鈥檚 why we do keep it no frills.鈥
Ms Robinson said one of the aims of this year鈥檚 sleepout will be to raise more than the 拢76,000 raised in 2018.
The number of participants signed up for the event has surpassed the number that took part last year, 61, with Ms Robinson estimating a turnout of between 90 to 100 people.
The Manchester sleepout is one of many the charity holds across the country, with sleepouts taking place from Northumberland to Portsmouth.聽聽
Ms Robinson said the Manchester event is always 鈥渉ugely鈥 well supported.
鈥淭he business community really gets behind it and shows just what a compassionate city Manchester is.
鈥淚t鈥檚 becoming a fixture in the business calendar with people coming year after year, the same people, so that tells me that it鈥檚 a really powerful event that they feel are doing good and want to keep supporting.鈥
