The Foxton Centre has received a fantastic Christmas present from the people of Preston.

A final count of money raised from the first ever Big PNE Sleep Out came in at £80,000.

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Preston North End’s Louis Moult, who has been backing the sleep out since it was announced in March, presented chief executive of The Foxton Centre Jeff Marsh with a cheque at the English Football League headquarters in Preston.

The offices of the EFL were playing host to a Christmas dinner for The Foxton Centre when Louis arrived with his giant cheque book during Thursday December 19.

Funds were raised by more than 300 people who bedded down at Deepdale on Friday November 15 to spend 12-hours sleeping on cardboard to see what life is like for rough sleepers – and being sponsored to do so.

The sleep out was in aid of The Foxton’s Housing First scheme and the money will go towards buying a run down property in the city and using it to put a roof over rough sleeper’s heads.

Currently the Foxton has to rent the houses for the scheme.

A target of £50,000 was set for the Big PNE Sleep Out and that was smashed on the night itself and donations continued to flood in.

Thousands of pounds was donated following the event, including during a pay-in event at the Foxton on Sunday December 15.

Read more: Pictures from the first ever Big PNE Sleep Out

Jeff Marsh from the Foxton said: “As the campaign winds down we have crashed through our target of £50,000 with a few final figures still to crunch following Gift Aid submissions to HMRC and tidying up a few donation queries.

“The phenomenal success is down to you and those generous people who supported you financially and is a perfect Xmas present to those who are homeless on Preston’s streets.

“The Foxton Centre will now be using the money raised to purchase an old property, for renovation and use to house people via our Housing First programme.

“A heartfelt thanks to all of you for not allowing the crisis of homelessness to be swept under the carpet.”

Blog Preston’s team joined the Big PNE Sleep Out, with our generous readers donating £1,600, and we’ve been supporting the sleep out and helping to organise it. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated, slept out and also to Preston North End’s Community Trust, Biffa and The Foxton Centre as we all worked together to put on an event which showed Proud Preston at its best.

The Big PNE Sleep Out is expected to return in 2021, giving the Foxton time to find and do up the property for the Housing First scheme.

Donations remain open for online donations via the Totalgiving fundraising page for the Big PNE Sleep Out.