Shropshire teenagers rough it as church camp gives them taste of life in the slums

About 15 youngsters aged between 12 and 19, from the FROGs Youth Group based in Cheswardine, near Market Drayton, roughed it without any luxuries in temporary shelters they had built themselves.

They also lived on a limited diet and completed a number of challenges during an eventful weekend at St Swithun's Church.

The idea was to help the group relate to those living in poverty, and they were also sponsored to help raise money to aid those who face these appalling conditions every single day.

The group has so far raised about £600 for Soul Action, a Christian charity who help those in extreme poverty. Matthew Richards, who is a helper at the youth group, hailed the event a success.

"My youth group took part in the Slum Survivor Challenge, whereby we raised money and awareness for those living in poverty by spending a few days the way they spend a lifetime," he said

"It was a fantastic weekend. I think they found it tough though, especially the diet. On Friday we started by building our own slums from pallets, boxes, tarpaulin, which we then lived in for the weekend.

"We were only allowed two meals a day of rice and dhal, and we had no immediate access to running water. We were only allowed to bring a few essential items and were completing various challenges to help gain an understanding of the lives of the poor."

On Saturday morning, a church open morning was held from 9am to 1pm to raise furthers funds for the charity.

It featured coffee and cake, trips up the church tower, a village treasure hunt, and a car wash.

Mr Richards added: "A lot of money is through sponsorship which can take a while to collect, but at the moment we have got just under £600.

"By the time we have finished we should have over £1,000, which is fantastic."

Anyone wishing to donate money can visit givey.com/slumsurvivor