A disciplined Mitcham family swapped structure and routine for a life where fun comes first and education last when they appeared on Channel Four's Wife Swap, broadcast last Sunday.

Wife Ife from the Menfesawi-Imani family of Seely Road, Mitcham spent nine days with the Wilkinsons from Banbury who believe life is about having fun - even leaving their four children to decide if they want to go to school.

Meanwhile, the Wilkinson's wife Debbie came to Mitcham and threw out the family rules of a strict vegan diet and evenings without a television.

"I was really nervous before seeing the show for the first time and was just hoping I didn't come across as a complete plonker," said Ife, a mother of three young children.

"But friends and family really loved it and I think they saw that it wasn't just about conflict but learning and improving ourselves."

Ife, a community leader in Mitcham, runs a project for 16 to 24-year-olds at the Volunteer Centre Merton and was persuaded to take part in the show by the young people she worked with.

She said: "Even though I'd only seen the program once before at my mum's house I thought it would be a great way to engage the young people I work with into who I am and what I do. For them, people they see on TV seem a lot more important.

"But what people don't realise is how intense the program is. They take away your're mobile phone and it's a really tough process. The film crew are with you all the time and you know they're not going to miss a trick.

Ife, who still has no idea how the television producers found her said the whole experience was beneficial: "At first I was very sceptical and I guess they chose us because our family is quite different.

"But I think the sense of having fun was really important and since the program, doing things as a family has become more of a priority."