More than 100 technology companies have signed up for Action for Children’s Boycott Your Bed 2026, as the annual sleepout combines fundraising for vulnerable children with one of the technology sector’s established networking events.
The event will take place on Friday 2 October 2026, with organised sleepouts in London, Glasgow, Manchester, and Leeds. Registrations remain open until 10 August.
Now in its 29th year, Boycott Your Bed has grown from a fundraising initiative into a large cross-sector gathering. Action for Children says more than 500 sleepers are expected to take part this year, with teams spending one night outdoors to raise funds and awareness for children, young people, and families facing hardship across the UK.
Companies signed up include Accenture, ANS Group, Barclays, Burberry, Capgemini, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Irwin Mitchell, Kier Group, PwC, Red Hat, Siemens, Specsavers, Sparta Global, and Triad Group. The breadth of participants shows how charity partnerships and corporate responsibility activity continue to act as convening points for professional communities.
Action for Children says four million children now live in poverty in the UK, equivalent to 27% of all children. The charity says Boycott Your Bed has raised £14.6m since launch, including £350,000 in 2025.
Ken Deeks, vice president and founder of Boycott Your Bed, said: “Understanding the reality of these challenges has been both eye-opening and deeply moving. Boycott Your Bed brings raises awareness of issues that can often remain hidden from view. The response from the technology community continues to be incredible, with more than 100 companies already signed up and many more expected to join before October. In fact, we anticipate over 500 sleepers on the night, creating a fantastic opportunity for people from across the sector to come together. Importantly, sleepers will play a direct role in supporting Action for Children’s work with vulnerable children, young people and families across the UK.”
The event arrives as companies reassess how social impact, employee engagement, and business networks fit together. Corporate social responsibility has gone beyond standalone donations in many organisations, with employers increasingly looking for initiatives that involve staff, strengthen culture, and create visible links with communities.
Employees are also placing greater weight on practical support and wellbeing, with research showing that workers increasingly want healthcare before workplace perks. Charity partnerships sit in a different part of the employer proposition, but they contribute to the broader question of what companies do beyond pay and performance management to build engagement and purpose.
The networking element is especially relevant in technology, where partnership ecosystems, suppliers, customers, advisers, and investor relationships shape growth. Events that bring companies together outside a sales or conference environment can create informal links that later support collaboration, recruitment, and commercial introductions.
The event’s fundraising model also reflects a wider change in corporate volunteering. Employees are not simply being asked to donate; they are being asked to participate publicly in a shared experience. That can deepen engagement, though it requires care in how the issue is communicated. Organisers note that one night outdoors cannot replicate the realities faced by vulnerable children and families. The value lies in awareness, fundraising, and collective action rather than simulated equivalence.
Child poverty has direct and indirect economic consequences. It affects education, health, housing stability, confidence, and future labour market participation. Companies concerned with skills, social mobility, and regional opportunity often connect charitable support for children and families with longer-term workforce and community development.
The presence of major employers also raises expectations around authenticity. Charitable events work best when companies match participation with meaningful fundraising, internal engagement, and a clear understanding of the cause. A visible sleepout can attract attention, but lasting value depends on the funds raised and the relationships maintained with the charity after the event.
Boycott Your Bed 2026 shows how business networks can be mobilised around social need without losing the professional relationships that make sector events viable. Participating companies will be judged less by the symbolism of one night outdoors than by the funds raised and the support delivered to Action for Children’s work across the UK.
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