STAFF at a Middlewich restaurant have helped raise money and awareness for homeless charities, by wearing pyjamas all weekend and supporting their boss in sleeping rough for a night.

Nick Holmes, general manager at the Harvester Salt Cellar in Pochin Way, and assistant manager Emma Tomkinson spent Saturday night in a cardboard box as part of a national Harvester fundraiser for the YMCA charity, which raised £21,000.

Supporting the cause, the restaurant team raised money on site by sporting pyjamas and were grateful for the generosity of the Middlewich public.

Nick said: “The team managed to raise about £150 just from Middlewich residents coming in for a meal over the weekend.

“Everyone got into the spirit and wore pyjamas. A lot of guests were asking what was going on and you could see the weird looks on their faces. They were very, very generous.

“The sleep-out was freezing – it was quite brutal, actually. We managed to raise £21,000 from all the Harvesters in the area and,as a unit, we managed to get £400.

“It was just freezing cold. We didn’t have any rain, but with the wind we literally didn’t get any sleep.”

The restaurant will also be working with a Middlewich charity to offer 20 free meals to homeless people over the Christmas period.