Portsmouth Grammar School sixth form students sleep rough to raise money for charity

Sixth form students have raised hundreds of pounds for charity after braving the elements for a night.

Almost 100 pupils from Portsmouth Grammar School took part in a sleepout on Thursday, October 15, sleeping rough in solidarity with the city’s rough sleepers.

The event, organised by headteacher Andrew Fisher, was raising money for The Roberts Centre in Gamble Road, Buckland, which supports young people and families with housing support, nursery care and more.

Mr Fisher said: “We’re really thrilled by the response - it was an idea I had about four weeks ago, I put it to a group of the sixth formers and they said they’d love to do it.

“We had 82 members of the sixth form, all of whom are paying towards the charity. We played some silly games, cooked some marshmellows over the fire, watched a film.

“Our sixth form is engaged with various organisations as part of their community action programme and this sleep out is very much an extension of this, it should hopefully make them appreciate the challenges people throughout the city face, albeit within the security of the school grounds.”

A spokesperson for The Roberts Centre said: “We would like to say a massive thank you to the sixth form students at Portsmouth Grammar School for braving the cold and rain to sleep outdoors and raise over £700 for the Roberts Centre.

“This money will make a real difference to the children and families we support, and it's wonderful to see young people coming together to support their local community. We're incredibly grateful to everyone who took part and helped make this happen.”