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A young boy whose ‘eyes are open to the amount of homeless people who need help’ followed in his mum’s footsteps by sleeping in a box at his home.

Harleigh Wyatt spent the entire night in a cardboard box on Saturday (February 1) instead of sleeping in his bed.

The three-year-old had previously helped to decorate the box that his mum, Laura Wyatt, slept in during The Big Sleep Out in Abington Park on Friday night (January 31).When Laura told her son what she was doing, Harleigh wanted to do the same.

Harleigh is only three but he wanted to take part in his own Big Sleep Out.

Laura said: “Harleigh knows I volunteer for The Hope Centre and he helped to decorate the box me and a friend slept in.

“Because he helped to decorate it, I salvaged it after the sleep out and brought it home with me.

“I told him that I slept out so he wanted to do it as well, so he did in our living room on Saturday night.

“I even tried to wake him up and ask if he wanted to go to bed but he wanted to stay in the box.

Harleigh helped to decorate the box before his mum took part in the Big Sleep Out.

“I had to wake him up at 9am. I think he must have had the best night sleep in that box.

“He was incredible. I’m really proud of him. He’s three-years-old so I thought the novelty would wear off and he would want to leave the box, but he didn’t and that amazes me.

"My little man is a legend."

Laura says she thinks Harleigh is aware of the support homeless people need and that is why he wanted to sleep in the box.

She added: “He has seen me working at the Hope Centre. I was there on Christmas Day. He saw the amount of homeless people who were there and needed help.

“He’s four in April so I think he’s eyes are open to people who need support.

“It was a great united thing for us to do.”

Since Harleigh slept out in the box, Laura’s Big Sleep Out fundraiser reached £530, which will be donated to the Hope Centre.

A spokeswoman for The Hope Centre said: “Sleeping on the floor is a fabulous way to support those who are sleeping rough and we would encourage other children to follow Harleigh’s example. Thank you to Harleigh for your support, you’re an inspiration.”

If you want to support Harleigh’s plight, visit the Hope Centre’s website to donate.

Incredible three-year-old Northampton boy follows in mum’s footsteps by sleeping in a box at home