A CHARITY worker from Eagley Bank lived on £1 a day to boost awareness for global poverty.

Heather Walkington, from Oxfam’s Manchester office, took on the Live Below the Line campaign —a fundraising challenge led by the Global Poverty Project.

Miss Walkington, aged 32, lived on a food budget of £1 a- day for five days to experience what it is like for 1.2 billion people around the world living in poverty.

She said: “When I did my £5 shop at the beginning of the week, I was surprised by how much you could buy.

“The quantity of food isn’t the problem, it’s the fact that you can’t afford any fruit or vegetables. It is possible to live off a £1’s worth of food, but it would be so bad for your health in the long-term.

“It has been pretty tough. The thing I have struggled the most with is tea and coffee. All I could think about was having a strong coffee at the end of the week.

“Luckily, I have been doing it with a team so we’ve been able to pull each other through.”

The community fundraising manager took on the challenge ahead of the official start date to inspire other people to do the same. Live Below the Line is supported by celebrities such as Hollywood star Hugh Jackman and will start on April 28.

Miss Walkington added: “Live Below the Line is a unique campaign to help understand a bit better the issues faced by people who live in extreme poverty. It’s not just a five-day experience for them, but often the choice between feeding your family or life-saving healthcare for your loved ones.”

For more information go to: oxfam.org.uk or live belowtheline.com/uk