Sir Cameron Mackintosh warns of more people sleeping on the streets as he donates to the homeless helpline appeal

‘With my theatres and productions at the heart of this city, I have seen increasing evidence of this problem coming back’

Sir Cameron Mackintosh has pledged £50,000 to the Young and Homeless Helpline appeal (PA)

Sir Cameron Mackintosh has pledged £50,000 to our Christmas appeal as he spoke of his concern at rising numbers of homeless rough sleepers.

The theatre producer, who put on West End hits including Cats, Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, is making the donation to the Young and Homeless Helpline Appeal through his charitable foundation.

The gift will help save young lives by funding a helpline run by homeless charity Centrepoint to give advice and support to young people living on the streets or on the cusp of homelessness.

Sir Cameron was spurred to make the donation through the Mackintosh Foundation because he and his staff have seen a rise in the number of rough sleepers in the West End in recent years.

The number of people sleeping rough in London who are aged under 25 has almost tripled to 830 in the past five years, according to statistics from multi-agency database the Combined Homelessness and Information Network.

More than a quarter of young people helped by Centrepoint have slept rough.

Sir Cameron said: “My Foundation has been associated with Centrepoint since the late 1980s when homelessness was rife in London.

“With my theatres and productions at the heart of this city, I have seen increasing evidence of this problem coming back, and the work Centrepoint does is vital to get young people off the streets and back into a more stable and secure life”.

The £50,000 is the major domestic donation being made by Sir Cameron this Christmas.

The leading producer’s long relationship with Centrepoint dates back to the charity’s involvement with Princess Diana, who had been its patron before her death in 1997.

One of the Mackintosh Foundation’s objectives is to provide relief for the homeless.

The donation comes as our first online auction, where readers bid for 20 lots, from X Factor tickets to Craig David’s signed guitar, raised £18,581, towards the appeal.