The industry did itself proud and we had to turn people away on the night as we’d reached capacity. The night itself was enjoyable at times, seeing so many familiar faces, but it clearly had a serious undertone. It was, admittedly, fairly easy to sleep rough for one night only and I only really had to endure the cold and relentless cacophony of snoring which roared around the main stand at the famous old stadium in Heywood Road.

What I think all the brave folk that took part realised was just how lucky we were that this was just a single night. Just how do homeless people cope with sleeping rough every night with temperatures close to zero? How do they get out of such an awful predicament especially when they must be both mentally and physically shattered? All participants last week had the comfort of knowing the next night they’d be tucked up in a warm bed, whereas someone who is homeless simply lives with this discomfort and uncertainty often without a get out pass.

It was a sobering night, but one that I’ll never forget. When I next see someone who is homeless, I’ll remember my night out and wonder how they got there. In fact I might just stop and have a chat and try and understand how this is still so prevalent in the 21st century.

If you missed out fear not as you can still sponsor here, and Landaid will be making further announcements during the year as we launch our call for sponsors of the new Salford Foyer homes later in the year. If you’re interested in getting involved in LandAid or just hearing what we’re up to then I’d love to tell you more – just get in touch via email.