MEMBERS of the Helensburgh and Lomond Youth Forum have raised £160 to help tackle homelessness in Scotland by staging a Wee Sleep Out in the town.

Fifteen forum members, all of them aged under 16, took their sleeping bags along to the Guide Hall in John Street to stage their mini version of the Sleep In The Park event being organised nationally by the Social Bite charity.

Stephanie Thomas from the youth services team at Argyll and Bute Council, who organised the event, said: “All the young people seemed to really enjoy it.

“We raised around £160 online and in person but our online donation page is open until December 24, so there is still time to donate if people want.”

One of the participants said: “It was good – I felt like we learnt how to go out of our comfort zones and that we became a bit more aware of how homelessness affects Scotland.”

If you’d like to give a donation, the group’s online fund-raising page can be found at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ruthcairns.

The main Sleep In The Park takes place on Saturday, December 8, in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.