Eating on £1 a day (From York Press)

Live Below The Line campaign raising awareness of poverty

8:32am Saturday 5th May 2012 in Ryedale news By Haydn Lewis, Education reporter

ANTI-poverty campaigners in the region are preparing to spend only £1 a day on food next week, writes Grace Newton.

The Global Poverty Project’s Live Below The Line campaign is to raise awareness of the 1.4 billion people worldwide forced by circumstances to live on a small budget.

One person who will be tightening her belt is Emily Graham, 22, of Slingsby, near Malton, who volunteers at the York development charity’s International Service office.

She heard about Live Below the Line while working at the organisation’s Goodramgate offices as part of a national citizenship programme.

The former Mount School pupil is planning to survive on rice, pasta, potatoes, bananas, carrots and barley broth mix and believes she will have to be creative to make her food go far.

She said: “I think the monotony will be the problem,” she said.

Emily, who hopes to study for an MA in applied human rights at the University of York later this year, has raised almost £130 towards her £150 target.

“With so many people sponsoring me, it makes me more determined to complete the challenge as I don’t want to let them down.”

Simon Brock, 29, from Knaresborough, completed the challenge for charity last year and hopes to raise £250 for Christian Aid this year.

He said: “It was very hard work and I underestimated just how little food I had – I was very grumpy by the end.”

The membership services assistant at Fountains Abbey is confident he can now plan menus which involve a greater range of foods.

“I have a very large appetite and it is hard to cope – the first day is the hardest. I had no energy last time and lost a lot of weight.”

“Doing this brings home how many disparities there are between living in the UK compared to the Third World,” he added.

June Emerson, of the Kirkbymoorside Environment Group, is hoping that shopping locally will help her £7 budget go far.

June and fellow group member David Morris are donating their sponsorship to Peace Direct, under the Global Poverty Project umbrella.

June said: “In Kirkbymoorside, it’s possible to buy absolutely all you need – but maybe not all that you want. Needs are essential. Our challenge has an added element; can we achieve it while still shopping locally and eating well?”