KIND-HEARTED children have swapped the comfort of their beds for the cold, hard floor of their school sports hall.

Youngsters at Belhaven Hill School braved the cold to raise £4,000 for charity after being inspired by the co-founder of Social Bite, Alice Thompson.

The Edinburgh-based charity aims to work towards ending homelessness across Scotland.

Wee Sleep Out, which follows on the heels of the hugely successful Sleep in the Park where people are sponsored to sleep out in the cold in aid of homelessness, was launched last year.

Then, 5,000 young people took up the challenge of holding their own sponsored mini sleep outs in their own choice of venue, such as a local park or school.

Inspired by Alice’s talk, 71 pupils aged between eight and 13 from Belhaven Hill School have helped out the good cause.

They settled down in the school’s unheated sports hall, which provided protection against the wind and rain but not the cold.

While temperatures dropped overnight, pupils took part in several activities aimed at raising awareness of the plight of homeless people in Scotland.

They also gave a few musical performances of their own and listened to a short bedtime story, recorded especially for Social Bite by comedian David Walliams.

Henry Knight, headmaster at the school on Dunbar’s Belhaven Road, thanked his five colleagues who volunteered to join the youngsters.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted that lots of Belhaven children took part in the Wee Sleep Out – so many, in fact, that we had to limit numbers.

“It is incredible how much support they have had from friends and family and I am thrilled that they have far exceeded their target of raising £3,000 – a great achievement.”

Sleep in the Park takes place in Princes Street Gardens next Saturday (December 7).