In a show of solidarity with The Independent’s Homeless Veterans campaign, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and the owner of the Independent titles, Evgeny Lebedev, spent a night this weekend sleeping rough on a London street.

Armed with a sleeping bag and a sheet of cardboard each, the pair saw in Friday night to Saturday morning from a pavement on Gresham Street, five minutes’ walk from St Paul’s Cathedral, in the City of London.

Both Mr Johnson and Mr Lebedev said the move was designed to raise awareness of how to help those genuinely forced into sleeping rough.

The Independent and London Evening Standard’s combined Homeless Veterans campaign is fundraising for ex-servicemen and -women seeking housing in London as well as nationally.

Mr Johnson gave his support to the appeal on Saturday morning, saying: “People who have served our country in the most difficult and unimaginable situations deserve all the help we can give them. We have made a demonstrable difference in decreasing the number of veterans out on the streets in the last two decades, but it’s tragic to learn how many there still are out there,” he added.

“It’s wonderful to see the work being done by institutions helping those out in the cold, and we can’t give them our thanks enough,” Mr Johnson said.

Earlier in the evening, Mr Johnson and Mr Lebedev visited some of the outreach programmes run by the London charity St Mungo’s Broadway.

At The Lodge in Holborn, those referred for residency have spent a minimum of two years on the street, though in some cases have slept rough for as long as 20 to 40 years. Residents are offered long-term accommodation as part of an initiative to help the most entrenched rough sleepers on London’s streets.

The first guest Mr Johnson and Mr Lebedev met at The Lodge – Roland, 84 – was the accommodation’s oldest current resident, as well as a veteran who had fought for Britain in North Korea during the early 1950s.

Before bedding down, Mr Johnson and Mr Lebedev also visited the south London hub for No Second Night Out, in Lewisham – a service funded by the Mayor and designed to provide direct care and assistance to those sleeping rough in London for the first time.

In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Show all 31 1 /31 In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Glynn Barrell Glyn Barrell is among the veterans hoping to benefit from the self-build scheme in Plymouth In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Rachel Holliday Rachel Holliday is converting a police station into a hostel Colin McPherson In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Androcles Scicluna Veteran Androcles Scicluna says performing boosted his confidence Simon Gregor In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Christopher Cole Christopher Cole, 51, from London, spent three years in the Army but left in 1982 John Lawrence In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Maurillia Simpson Former servicewoman Maurillia Simpson with the medals she won at last year’s Invictus Games Jeremy Selwyn/Evening Standard In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Martin Rutledge Head of The Soldiers’ Charity, Martin Rutledge, says charities sometimes allow emotion to dictate their choices Justin Sutcliffe In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Ben Griffin Ben Griffin wants to open people’s eyes to the cycle of political violence Charlie Forgham-Bailey In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Robin Horsfall Robin Horsfall, who fought in the Falklands and helped end the Iranian embassy siege In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Mark Hayward A bed for the night and food helped Mark Hayward out of misfortune Justin Sutcliffe In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Ashley Rosser Ashley Rosser, who served in the RAF, at the Veterans Aid hostel in east London Micha Theiner In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Dave Henson Britain's Invictus Games captain Dave Henson says veterans’ charities helped rebuild his life Chris Jackson/Getty Images In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Justin Heath Justin Heath needed help when a medical discharge ended his Royal Navy career after six years John Lawrence In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Hugh Milroy Hugh Milroy dispels myths about war-zone veterans through his work as the CEO of Veterans Aid Charlie Forgham-Bailey In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Andy MacFarlane and Julie Taylor Former soldiers Andy MacFarlane and Julie Taylor work at the Jaguar Land Rover plant in Solihull under a covenant connecting veterans with employers Andrew Fox In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Mark McKillion Mark McKillion's experience of living on the street eventually left him feeling as though the only way to escape was to end his life. He survived his desperate jump from Westminster Bridge, and VA's help has restored his "faith in humanity" In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Nigel Nigel, a navy veteran, remembers living on the beach in the run-up to Christmas, when it rained every day for a week. He slept on a bench for seven years whilst suffering from Parkinson's disease. In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Biffy Lynch After ten years in the Royal Navy, Biffy Lynch settled in Plymouth. She worked through an agency, but, without permanent employment, couldn't secure a private tenancy agreement. Veterans Aid put a guarantee in place for Biffy's rent, saving her and her three children from homelessness In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Roy Roy's life unravelled after returning from war. He talks about the fear that haunts men and women forced to take to the streets - and the immense sense of safety that overwhelmed him when he realised that his nightmare was over. In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Keith Cooper Before Keith Cooper had his place confirmed at Avondale House in Newcastle, he was working out whether he could afford to buy a tent to live in In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Michael Crossan Michael Crossan has just started an MA in fine art after years of homelessness and alcoholism. He says of Veterans Aid: "They were there when no one else was – and they never gave up on me." Glyn Strong In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Andy Reid Andy Reid lost his right leg below the knee, left leg above the knee, and right arm. A grant from ABF The Soldiers’ Charity paid for the necessary adjustments to his home on his return. “I’m a survivor, not a victim,” he says. He is a motivational speaker and has set up his own charity – Amputation Inspiration Motivation. Colin McPherson In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Sean Staines When Sean Staines got a phone call from Veterans Aid that they had a place for him, he hung up in disbelief. They phoned back, and now, after living in the forest without a sleeping bag, he is living independently in his own flat Micha Theiner In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Don Johnstone Don Johnstone served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps but fell on hard times after moving back to Scotland. He has been at Whitefoord House for three months, where he has been receiving specialist support for his medical needs. Martin Hunter In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Peter Foggin Peter Foggin left his IT job to become a full-time carer to his wife. When the relationship ended, the council wouldn't house him because he was a single man with adult children. Luckily, he was taken in at Avondale House in Newcastle, which offers a home to veterans with nowhere else to go In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal John “Jocky” Stewart John “Jocky” Stewart says he was was "mucked up" after returning from the army. "I’d spend a lot of time looking at the floor, because every time I looked at somebody it seemed like there was a bit of their face missing." Now he has his own flat and helps out in the kitchens at the Scottish Veterans Residences which took him in from the streets. Martin Hunter In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Simon Weston Simon Weston, a Falklands War veteran, said even something as simple as a cup of tea can be an important step in getting the life of a homeless veteran back on track. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Ian Palmer, professor of military psychiatry Ian Palmer, the first professor of military psychiatry to the British Armed Forces, says that the depiction of all ex-service personnel having post-traumatic stress disorder may stop people who really need help from getting it Glenn Copus In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Douglas Cameron Evgeny Lebedev with Douglas Cameron, who had a hernia operation while serving in Burma Johnnie Shand Kidd In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Veterans Aid The Veterans Aid team, with CEO Dr Hugh Milroy (third left), at the charity’s small London office above a hairdresser’s salon Glenn Copus In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Phil Cox, Whitefoord House Putting something back: Phil Cox, the chief executive of SVR, at Whitefoord House, which has been taking in homeless veterans since 1911 Martin Hunter In pictures: Homeless Veterans appeal Veterans Aid General Sir Mike Jackson, President of ABF The Soldiers' Charity, called for donations to the Homeless Veterans appeal AP

No Second Night Out operates alongside the national call service StreetLink, which allows members of the public to report rough-sleepers to local council outreach teams across the country. Rough-sleepers reported through StreetLink are approached by local services and offered an assessment and reconnection service, as well as short-term temporary accommodation.

Mr Lebedev said: “We’ve seen compassionate London at its best tonight: brave care workers who care about the people no one else does, and show genuine courage on a daily basis.

“The Independent and Evening Standard’s Homeless Veterans campaign has attempted to draw attention to one group of vulnerable people out on the streets, but they’re not the only ones.”

He added: “It’s humbling to see the work done by all of these outreach services.

“That goes for government programmes and more targeted charity groups who help those that have served their country, yet afterwards find themselves destitute.”