FURY members Live Below the Line

Thirteen members of the FURY (Fellowship of United Reformed Youth) advisory board (FAB) are taking the Live Below the Line challenge – spending just a £1 a day on food and drink for a week – to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the 1.4bn individuals living in extreme poverty and to raise money for two charities – Young Minds and Christian Aid.

The FAB challenge, which was inspired by the five-day Live Below the Line 2012 campaign which took place in May, will begin on Saturday 8 September, and end on 14 September, as the next FAB meeting begins.

Explaining why they were keen to take the challenge, Jane Leighton, FURY co-moderator said: “At this year’s Youth Assembly we passed a resolution pledging support for mental health charity Young Minds – and as part of this, the members of the advisory board decided to fundraise.   We were looking for a sponsorship challenge that we could all participate in, and the Live Below the Line challenge fitted the bill; as well as enabling us to raise money for Young Minds, it also fitted with the URC’s longstanding commitment to Christian Aid.”

Board member Victoria Meachin is taking part, and she commented: “We're doing this because we want to raise money and, more importantly, awareness, of the work of these charities … but I know it will be a real challenge. I'm mostly worried about my will power – I'm working in an office at the moment, so there will be constant temptation to snack on chocolate and other luxuries that I won’t be able to afford on my £1 a day. I've already started planning my meals for the week and researching the cheapest brands – I realise I'll just have to be very careful with portion sizes during the week – otherwise I’ll be in danger of running out of food! We’re doing this for two amazing causes – and I hope the thought of that will keep me focused!”

Jane Leighton, who is married to co-moderator Gary, added: “We’ll have just £14 to spend between us, so I’m certain that baked beans and pasta will be featuring heavily in the week’s menu … by the time we get to the FAB meeting I’m sure we’ll all be dreaming of puddings and be more than ready for our evening meal! However hungry we become, and however well we eat that Friday evening, I hope none of us will forget the challenges of the week, nor our tiny taste of what those living in extreme poverty face every day.”

To sponsor any of the FAB members as they Live Below the Line, please visit www.justgiving.com/teams/FAB. The money raised will be divided between the two chosen charities.

Photo shows the current FURY Advisory Board.