Two Dundee men will brave plunging temperatures to sleep rough in Magdalen Green bandstand this weekend.
Derek Kelbie and Barry Small were moved by reports that many Tayside children will wake up at Christmas without any presents this year.
And they plan to spend Sunday night sleeping in the city’s oldest park to raise money for children’s charity Cash for Kids.
Temperatures are expected to be near freezing, with the potential for rain.
“There shouldn’t be any kids who wake up on Christmas day without any presents,” Derek said.
“To be honest, I don’t know why we chose sleeping rough as a challenge.
“I think it was more we were looking at what could we do to raise money.
“It’s so cold at this time of year and we wanted to give ourselves a real challenge – so not just like a sponsored walk.”
Wanting to do something to help
Barry and Derek had already planned to give back to the community this year.
And when they heard a report on the radio about how many children were in poverty, they knew Cash for Kids was the right fit for them.
“I work in residential care myself,” Derek added.
“I’ve worked in care for seven years – I know Christmas is such a huge thing for a lot of young people.
“There are a lot of kids who wake up on Christmas with very little – or sometimes absolutely nothing.
“We knew we wanted to do something to help.”
The pair launched an online fundraiser and hoped to raise £500 for the charity.
But they smashed that target within just 24 hours.
They increased their target to £1,000, to keep the momentum going and have already amassed more than £800.
Derek added: “Although it’s for a good cause, once you hit your target, we feel like people think there’s not really a need to donate.”
Derek said that the support he’s received has been so encouraging, they’re already hoping to do something again next year.
If you’d like to donate, you can do so here.