A GENEROUS team of casino workers are spending 24 hours on the street to raise money for a homeless charity.

Ten members of staff from Southend’s Rendezvous casino will be taking nothing more than a sleeping bag and a piece of cardboard, to get an idea of what it is like to live on the streets while raising money for homeless charity Harp.

This will include relying on members of the public for food and hot drinks to keep them going through their challenge.

The endeavour has been organised by the casino’s receptionist and charity champion Joleen Vevers, who said the charity had touched a nerve with staff after helping out one of their own.

She said: “We wanted to help a local charity which does so much for our community and Harp had helped one of our staff when she was in need, as it has done with more than 1,500 people in the past 12 months.

“So once we decided which charity we wanted to help, we thought the best way to show our sponsors why we need help is by being homeless ourselves.”

She said staff had an added incentive to raise a substantial amount of money as, if they meet their target of £2,500, the casino’s management has agreed to join them and, if they raise £5,000, the club director, Johanna Johnstone, will be there too.

Stephen Colyer, from Harp, said he was bowled over by the team’s offer.

He said: “We’ve had people spend 12 hours on the street before to raise money for us, but this is the first time we’ve had anybody stay out for 24 hours.

“I really can’t overstate how much we appreciate what they’re doing, it’s a great thing for them to do and we wish them all the best.”

The team will take the challenge on April 24.

To sponsor them, visit www.

justgiving.com/rendezvous For more information, call Joleen Vevers or Junior Garrod on 01702 616000.