A woman spent just £5 on food for five days to experience living below the poverty line.

Kathleen Prior, of Haling Park Road, South Croydon, restricted herself to spend just £1 a day on all food and drink.

The five-day challenge saw her live below the poverty line, to discover living conditions experienced by 1.4 billion people around the world.

By completing the sponsored challenge, Miss Prior raised more than £200 to support the work of Christian Aid.

Last year, 10,000 people participated in the Live below the Line challenge and Croydon residents are being encouraged to participate in this year's challenge, between May 7 and 11.

Miss Prior said: "At first I thought it would be impossible, but with a bit of research and creativity I was able to prepare meals such as chickpea stew and egg mayo sandwiches.

"Though by the end of the week, I was craving chocolate and a glass of red wine.

"One night I even held a dinner party, inviting my friends to a 33p banquet of bean curry with rice and asking them to sponsor me."

She added: "Many people think that prices in the UK are more expensive than in developing countries, but that isn’t necessarily true.

"In Gaza, cooking oil is three times the price than in the UK, and in Tajikistan a bag of sugar costs the same as in a supermarket."

To register to take part and get tips and recipes visit livebelowtheline.com/uk-christianaid