A CHILLY night out sleeping rough on the grounds St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School has raised more than £40,000 to help Slough's homeless people survive the winter.

The sleep out was organised by the London to Slough Run charity which organises weekly trips to the capital to feed the homeless, as well as providing soup outside at Mary's Church in Slough.

The charity's biggest challenge is running Slough's winter night shelter scheme that sees the homeless given an overnight place to stay throughout the winter months at different churches across the town.

Friday's sleep out at St Bernard's school in Langley Road was a way of raising money to fund the scheme and it achieved it object handsomely.

Locally based celebrity actor Will Mellor - who has appeared in Hollyoaks and Broadchurch - launched the sleep out.

Cardboard boxes were distributed to everyone who needed one although many brought sleeping bags and duvets. A fish and chip van and carol singing helped cheer the participants up.

About 100 people turned up to brave the night, including 36 Eton College boys and Slough's MP Tan Dhesi.

Church groups and a team from Slough Football Club were among the community groups that joined in.

Neil Baker from the Football Club said: "It was a good thing to do, not easy but it highlighted what it must be like to be homeless. I would not wish it on anyone to be homeless."

London and Slough Run chairman John Power said: “We are extremely pleased and really grateful to everyone who came along and raised the money.

“It helped raise the profile of the problem and also the work we’re doing to alleviate that.”