TWO friends who met at the University of Sussex braved freezing conditions for a reunion with a difference by sleeping rough for charity.

Karen Marshall and Alison Holt braved the unseasonably low temperatures as they teamed up to take part in the YMCA Sleep Easy 2018 fundraiser on Friday to raise money for Galvanise Brighton and Hove and the YMCA.

Karen, a research fellow at the University of Sussex, and NHS clinical psychologist Alison were joined by some 80 other volunteers who spent a night sleeping out at Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College (Bhasvic) in Hove with just cardboard and sleeping bags to protect them from the elements.

Karen said: “Nobody should be sleeping rough but especially not in a country and in a city that has so much wealth.

“We were well looked after by the Sleep Easy organisers and had access to basic facilities like hot food and toilets which are a luxury to people who have to go through this every night.

Alison said: “It was great to take part in Sleep Easy and raise money for these local charities, and I am delighted Karen agreed to come along with me.”

Chas Walker, chief executive of YMCA DownsLink Group, said: “We’re so happy to have Karen and Alison joining us for a night sleeping under the stars, the aim of which is to raise money and awareness for homeless and vulnerable people.

“We have been overwhelmed by the support this year, with over 100 people now signed up in Brighton and Hove and almost £25,000 raised across Brighton and Hove, Horsham and Guildford so far.”

Alison and Karen met at the University of Sussex in 2000 as undergraduates sharing the same halls of residence.

They have remained the best of friends ever since despite both moving away from Sussex for a time, Karen to work in the US for three years and Alison as she travelled extensively around Asia.

Karen currently works in the Serpell Lab in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Sussex.

She said: “I’m currently testing out how a drug can alleviate the build-up of proteins that occurs during Alzheimer’s.

“It is not often in Alzheimer’s research that someone makes a major breakthrough. We have had 30 years of quite solid research but there still hasn’t been a drug that can treat the causes of the diseases.”

The 2018 Sleep Easy fundraising event was run by YMCA DownsLink Group in partnership with Galvanise Brighton and Hove.