Swapping their comfy beds for the floor, 13 teenagers from St Paul's Church in Hounslow West set up camp inside the church, experiencing some of the struggles faced by homeless people.

As part of the Advent Sleepout Challenge the youths were provided with a basic meal from the St Paul's food bank and slept in sleeping bags on the floor.

Each teenager taking part in the sleepout was sponsored in a bid to raise money to provide backpacks for St Mungo's Homeless charity.

The charity gives out the rucksacks to those sleeping rough in the local area, providing them with necessities for the winter months, including a hat, gloves, scarf and blanket.

A total of £345.50 was raised by the teenagers, providing 17 packs for the homeless.

The Advent Sleepout Challenge is a national event organised by Church Urban Fund which helps to put vulnerable people on the right track towards transforming their lives.

It is the second year St Paul's Church has got on-board with the challenge, and youth worker at St Paul’s Church, Chris Kettel, says they wanted to go the extra mile.

Teenager raise money for charity (From L-R: Caleb Levell, 10, Jas Levell, 13, Jordan Ferrier, 17, JJ Clarke, 12

He said: "This year we wanted to do something extra so it seemed right to support the homeless people living on our doorstep, in our community.

"The team at St Mungo’s were happy to receive these donations and gave us plenty of useful ideas.

"The event itself was great, with all the young people getting to grips with what life can be like for those on the streets, as well as enjoying a film in our festive cinema, some epic music, great games and the most incredible hot chocolate."

Caleb Levell, 10, enjoyed the experience on November 24. He said: "It was a great night and gave me a bit of an idea of what it was like for the homeless in the area."

JJ Clarke, 12, added: "It was good to experience what kind of food the homeless get to eat from the St Paul’s food bank."

For further information about the Advent Sleepout Challenge, head to the website.

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