Fundraisers who swapped their own beds for the streets of Aberdeen have raised £13,600 for a homeless charity.
Nearly 30 volunteers braved the cold and slept outside to highlight the issues surrounding homelessness, while also raising vital cash for Cyrenians.
Since the start of the year, more than 800 people have contacted the charity for help.
This week’s sleepout was organised by a team of students, who also bedded down for the night on the roof of St Nicholas shopping centre in Aberdeen.
Joanne Donald, from Robert Gordon University, said she and the rest of the group wanted to organise the event to highlight the challenges and isolation faced by homeless people in the north-east.
She said: “Before we got started, we sat in a room and thought of what to do. It was a bit terrifying at first but we wanted it to be about what the charity does, and what they believe in.”
Cyrenians deputy chief executive Scott Baxter said: “There has been an unprecedented increase in people coming to us – a lot to do with debt problems, welfare reforms, and housing benefit changes.
“The economic growth that Aberdeen experiences does not benefit everyone and we want to raise awareness of the need for services like ours.”
Among the organisations that supported the sleepout were Technip, E.ON, AGCC, Bon Accord and St Nicholas Centre, FMC Technologies, AFC in the Community, Maclay, Murray and Spens, Sainsbury’s, Skene House, KCA Deutag and Wood Group.