Volunteers sleep on the streets of Eastbourne to raise funds for Foodbank

South East Water organised the event, which saw its employees sleep out in the cold for a night, as part of their year-long fundraising drive to help community projects.

Sheila Bowdery, customer care manager at South East Water, said, “We are out and about every day helping vulnerable customers. One of our roles is to make sure they know about the special tariffs and extra help we offer people going through tough times.

“It’s through this work we see first-hand the vital role charities like Eastbourne Foodbank has in being there for people when they need it most.

“It inspired our sleep out because we wanted to highlight those less fortunate than ourselves and for the money to go to good causes right at the heart of the communities we serve.”

A £500 cheque was handed to chief executive of Eastbourne Foodbank, Howard Wardle.

Mr Wardle said, “It’s hard to imagine in this beautiful town that we need crisis-intervention assistance with food.

“We have critically low stock, even the basics, and it’s worse with children at home for summer. We are beyond grateful for the continuous and invaluable support given to us here. This support is changing lives.”