More than 330 sleepers raising money for 11 charities took part in the annual sleepout.

The Sleepout at St Albans Abbey, which celebrated its 23rd year on December 2, saw more than 330 sleepers including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of St Albans and staff from Newsquest London.

South West Bedfordshire MP Andrew Selous and the Mayors of Stevenage and Berkhamsted were also present earlier in the night to give their support.

Martin Beaumont, finance coordinator for Newsquest London, said: "We usually go out for a Christmas drink as a team and we had a chat and thought let’s do something more worthwhile this year.

"So we came upon the St Albans sleep out and seven of us gamely thought we would give it a go, particularly as local Watford charity New Hope were directly connected with the initiative.

"Our team members taking part were myself, Tania Knight, Ella Townsend, Jake Kelleher, Ewelina Andrzejewska, Anna Bareva and Dan McGroarty.

"So we met up on the night itself with our sleeping bags, hats, snacks and mountains of cardboard and headed to the Abbey to join a few hundred other brave souls.

"We found a spot on the grass and laid down our mattress of cardboard and then managed to fix a cardboard canopy over the top to at least shield our heads from the elements.

"We attended a talk in the Abbey at 10pm and it was incredibly humbling to listen to a guy who had spent many years living on the streets talk of his experiences.

"What really hit home to me was the continuous fear of the obvious danger around you when are genuinely homeless, that and the fact that with a cruel twist of fate this really could happen to any of us.

"After the talk we stocked up on hot drinks provided by the Mothers Union and bedded down for the night.

"Over the continuous sound of rustling sleeping bags and snack wrappers I personally managed to get around four hours solid sleep and I learned that the rest of the group managed to get around the same.

"I woke with a sore throat, a stiff neck and a desire to get home. And that’s the difference.

"We were all able to head back to our cars and drive home. So, the experience was uncomfortable and enlightening but none of us would pretend to have truly experienced homelessness.

"What we did achieve was a little insight, a good deal of awareness and a fabulous bit of fundraising.

"At present our group has raised £1,750 for New Hope on the back of the experience and that’s something we’re immensely proud of.  

"To think we could have gone for our usual Christmas drink instead."

The coordinator of the Sleepout Brian Peyton said: “This year saw the participation of 21 youth groups more than usual, and more than 40 per cent of those taking part were under 18 years of age.

“The atmosphere, as always at the Sleepout, was a happy one with the crypt of the cathedral being turned into a cafe where hot refreshments were served throughout the night.

“The weather was kinder than usual with temperatures around 5 degrees at midnight as sleepers bedded down, but falling to around 2 degrees in the middle of the night before rising again by dawn.

“We can never forecast the amount that the sleepers will raise in sponsorship, but going on past performance our supporters are very generous and so we are hoping for another bumper figure. Last year over £53,600 was raised to help homeless people, so here is hoping for this year.”