Youngsters from an Ongar church chose to starve themselves for a day to raise money for African children who have no choice but to go without food.

Eleven members of Youth Plus from St Mary's Church in High Ongar signed up for the 24hour famine and raised more than £1,100 for the charity World Vision.

The youngsters kept themselves busy by playing games and singing songs to take their mind off their rumbling tummies.

Despite the hardship the youngsters managed to enjoy themselves and one of the group, Charlie Gibney, said: "We had a great time as we spent the whole 24hours together having fun. We played indoor 'It's a Knockout' and settled down to watch videos in the evening."

Despite the fun, Jane Gibney, one of St Mary's youth leaders, was in no doubt the seriousness of the situation had certainly left its mark on the children.

She said: "Doing the famine not only allowed us to raise money but also raised awareness of starving people in Malawi and Mozambique."

Published Tuesday, April 8, 2003

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