iPhone 6: Homeless charity Depaul auctions queue spot outside Apple store

Profits from the sale of the queue space outside the store on Regent Street, central London, will help "young people forced to sleep on the streets"

Homelessness charity Depaul is camping outside the Apple store to sell its spot in the queue

A youth homelessness charity has ingeniously pitched up outside an Apple store in London so that it can sell the prime location to an iPhone fanatic.

Depaul UK, headquartered in London Bridge, is auctioning its spot “near the front of the queue” at the shop on Regent Street as fever builds for the impending release of the iPhone 6.

“All proceeds will help young people forced to sleep on the streets,” a cardboard box has scrawled on it, while the person tasked with keeping the space can be seen in the advert holding a sign saying “Bid for this spot on eBay”.

The iPhone 6 goes on general sale in retail stores tomorrow at 8am. Depaul’s spot is about fifth in the queue.

As usual in these circumstances, lines begin to form come rain or shine outside popular Apple stores, with one technophile last year claiming to have been offered £200 for his first-place spot.

So far the Depaul auction has generated bids up to £105, with the winner also receiving a Depaul t-shirt but “not the iPhone 6” itself, the charity clarified.

Joe Howes, Director of Fundraising and Development at Depaul told The Independent that they were spurred on by last year’s mammoth queues, in which die-hard Apple fans slept rough for an iPhone yet “there are hundreds of young people that sleep out every single night”.

The auction on eBay (eBay)

He added that he would be heading down there to do his bit and is looking forward to speaking with people.

“There’s a bit of camaraderie,” he said about the queuers.

The Depaul team joined the queue yesterday afternoon and will be there until the auction closes at 6am tomorrow morning, where the winning bidder will have to make their own way there armed with proof of ID and eBay username before the shop opens.

“Don’t miss your chance to be one of the first in the UK to get your hands on the latest Apple iPhone 6 without having to queue yourself,” the advert states.

Mr Howes also said that the charity likes to come up with interesting fundraising ideas, which includes its box company.

Moving house? Order a bunch of boxes with packing tape and a marker pen from Depaul – the profits from which go directly to helping “a young person move off the street”.

Bid for the iPhone spot here.