New chair of Teesside homelessness charity to carry on friend's legacy
Abu Ali takes on the role after the death of his friend who was rough sleeping for a documentary in 2013
The new chairman of a Teesside homelessness charity says he wants to continue his best friend's legacy after his death more than a decade ago.
26 year-old Lee Halpin died in 2013 sleeping rough whilst making a documentary to raise awareness about homelessness in Newcastle. His body was found in a derelict building.
Abu Ali, who has now taken on the role at Middlesbrough-based CEO Sleepout, has supported the charity since its inception.
To date, the charity has raised over £6m to support causes across the UK helping people in poverty, or experiencing homelessness.
Abu said: "I went through school with Lee, and his death cut through our friendship group. We were young and it was the first time we’d all lost a friend. It was a global story, and in Lee’s memory, I wanted to raise funds in the hope we could help to finish his documentary and leave a legacy for him. Ultimately, that brought CEO Sleepout into my life and since then, Lee’s memory has always been a big part of what’s driven me to make a change through the charity"
Abu is replacing the charity's founder, Andy Preston, who will remain with CEO Sleepout as a trustee.
Abu added: "Andy’s done a phenomenal job of building CEO Sleepout, and the impact it is making is immense, and I want to build on that and really kick the charity on. We’ve had thousands of fundraisers who have raised millions of pounds, but despite that, the issues it tries to tackle are just getting worse.
"We have more homeless people in Britain than at any point in history, and poverty has become normalised. We can’t let that continue. So, while homelessness is a big issue we tackle, I’d like to see how we can focus more on tackling poverty and the other issues that lead people to losing their homes.”
Andy said: “Abu will be a brilliant chair. I’ll never forget the support he gave me over the years when I was an exhausted volunteer, running the charity on my own.”
And with Abu at the helm, CEO Sleepout is eyeing up a record 12 months.
Having raised a phenomenal £750k last year, that growing strain on services means the charity’s aim is to hit £1m in 2026.
Bianca Robinson, chief executive of CEO Sleepout, said: "Abu knows CEO Sleepout inside out and has been with since day one. His vision and connections in the business world will only help us raise more money, which sadly, has never been needed more."
Abu has this message for business leaders: "The reality is the business community has the power and resources to deliver lasting change, and through CEO Sleepout, leaders can leave a legacy. What we want in 2026 is more business leaders to step up and sleep out. They have the influence and connections to raise the levels of money that makes a real difference, and we really want more leaders to give up just one night and change lives forever."
For more information about upcoming events, visit the CEO Sleepout website.