YOUNG schoolchildren slept outside with just cardboard and sleeping bags to raise money for homeless charities.

The 32 youngsters at Lainesmead Primary School in Swindon, all year 6 pupils, spent Thursday night under basic shelter in the grounds so they could understand what conditions were like for rough sleepers.

Deputy headteacher Leigh Timbrell said: “I’m immensely proud of them. I had very little to do. I just supported them. They are the ones who ran the project from the start to the finish.”

She explained the idea came from their personal and social education lessons. Told to research different charities, they had then voted on which ones they wanted to raise money for and had chosen Shelter and Crisis at Christmas. They managed to raise £300.

“It all comes from the pupils themselves. They wrote the letter to parents, they organised the sponsorship forms, they invited the adults they wanted to support them.

“They are a very, very mature year 6,” she said. “All of them have seen rough sleepers in the town centre or Old Town and it is good that their attitude is empathetic.”

She said the plan was explained to parents and once they were assured the site was secure and health and safety measures were in place, they were supportive. “I think a lot of the parents were happy for them to be able to have this experience,” she said.

The youngsters were brought back to school with their cardboard boxes and sleeping bags and set up camp with several teachers watching over them. They were barred from eating after 8pm and only had water to drink. The next morning they were allowed a breakfast bar before going through a whole school day.

Reece Prouse-Edwards, 11, told the Advertiser: “It was very difficult because you had to sleep with your sleeping bag on concrete. You couldn’t really sleep much because it was uncomfortable. Most of us didn’t even go to sleep until the morning. The breeze was really cold.”

“We were doing it in the safety of our own school, but they have to worry about their health and safety,” he added.

Rebecca Mason, also 11, said: “I felt it was pretty hard but it was kind of fun at the same time. We were finding out information like how the homeless have to sleep out every day.”

“I felt sorry for them because it was really cold in the evening. It does make you appreciate your home and bed.”