PovertyChallenge

So I stupidly watched paranormal activity last night, there were lots of weird noises outside my tent, and people walking past, including a big scary sounding guy with a big scary sounding dog. Imagining there were footsteps in the leaves just outside my tent kept me awake for awhile. When I finally did get to sleep it didn't last long, the wind woke me up at around 1 and it turns out (for all those who have been so smug since I've moved my tent) that the front yard really isn't much better than the back yard. Even with this new fancy tent! It's got some sorta fancy poles that won't snap, but that doesn't stop them bending in the wind, at one point it got blown to inches from my face! I was really worried the tent would tear where I was holding it down with rocks, and as I borrowed the tent I was pretty worried about it, was tempted to take it down and sleep inside, but I wouldn't have been able to get it down without it breaking it in that wind. Then there was the rain as well, for the first time the tent leaked, not due to any issue with the tent (don't worry Joe it's fine), but because it wasn't pegged out properly (because I couldn't put pegs in the yard). I managed to stay dry and warm in my many layers but this morning I found that I was surrounded by puddles (tried to take a picture but the light in the tent wasn't good enough) and my pillow was soaked. I hope that all makes sense, I'm soo tired from another bad nights sleep and now I'm off to Oxford for the week.... Hope you have all enjoyed your challenges, I think I have on the whole. It's definately made me realise that people in poverty who perhaps don't appear to be in really bad situations (I didn't think living in a tent was that bad) are actually just so much more vulnerable to things like severe weather. This is why I think that us wealthy people should make a real effort to stop climate change, our actions have repercussions around the world.

After being exhausted all week I collapsed in my tent last night, I don't know if the fireworks were still going, if so I didn't notice, and the traffic obviously wasn't as loud as I thought because I slept exceptionally well. Except for it getting a little chilly it was a very good night. I'm finding sleeping in a tent very practical as it means I can use my lovely big double bed as extra storage space. I think completely living in the tent would be a much better challenge, but I'm not sure I could face that at this time of year when it's dark at 4.30. Imagine having to live in the limited space of a tent for any length of time, being crammed in, normally with your whole family. I'm glad I have my nice comfortable house to escape too :D

I arrive home from an exhausting day at work (there had been a leak and the ceiling tiles had disintergrated and fallen down!!) To find the wind has won yet again, it's getting slightly ridiculous now, another pole has snapped, but this time right in the middle, therefore I'm unable to fix it with pegs and fit the tent on it, and I think I have generally admitted defeat. Wind 3, tent 0. I think my tent is a complete write off, and my garden gate (hope the landlord doesn't mind as it was kinda my fault for trying to keep it shut in ridiculously strong winds). I'm generally exhausted and can't face spending a long period of time in the wind and the rain attempting to fix it again, I have a day off tomorrow so perhaps I will try again then.

I'm not going to give up on the challenge tonight though, I have a cellar, a particuarly disgusting one, concrete floor and walls, actual water on the floor, and probably rats (well hopefully not). It's full of general crap, see below for a particularly bad picture, sorry about the quality it's pretty dark down there. I'm now going to sleep down there, with just a thin matt under me. Does this sound like a fair substitute challenge?

I'm really sorry guys and well done all of you for sticking with your challenges.

I had a couple of glasses of wine last night, hoping it would help me sleep, and it did to beging with, then the wind set in at 1.30 and woke me up, about an hour after I went to sleep. So I crawled out of bed to make sure the gates were closed and build up my bin fort around the tent, it didn't seem to help much. Then I heard a crash, looked out my tent to check and find the gate had been blown of its hinges!!

So thats the end of my protection from the wind, I'm starting to think I should have set the tent up in the front yard where I would be protected from the wall, I decided not to originally because I thought the noise from the road would be disturbing, but after being woken up by the wind every half an hour last night I don't think the noise would be that big an issue. It's not even just the noise of the wind, my hole tent was blowing around so much I thought it might take off. Anyway, now I'm very tired, got another long day at work, and no time tonight to move my tent before going out for a meal. Also I don't really fancy movning my tent as it took so much effort to put up in the first place.

My front yard, you can see the road right next to it.

Well I have to say last night wasn't as bad, I protected myself from the wind with bins, and dropt off to sleep quickly. Slept till 7, woke to find it was a bit chilly, but my tent was still in one peice! Getting a bit achy from sleeping in the tent now though. Yay, success :D Had an exceptionally busy day, starting with the photo shoot for the Lancaster Guardian (which is going to look very silly) my first oxfam area meeting, our first Oxfam society meeting at the uni, and my first meeting with the fashion society to discuss an Oxfam fashion show, I do feel my life is being taken over by Oxfam. But the experience of living in a tent reminds me why we do it. Our work on emergency aid and development is so important to get people out of these sorts of conditions ASAP, and our campaigns work, towards preventing climate change, and political unrest, for preventing these situations in the first place.

Good news - someone from Lancaster Guardian rang today, gave me a phone interview and arranged to come and take a photo of me and the tent tomorrow! Yay that got publicity quickly!

Bad news - tonight gusts of wind are going to reach 51mph, I really don't know if my tent will withstand it, I'm going to try and shelter it with bins, hmm.... really feel like I'm starting to share experiences with people who live on the street. Also I'm really really tired and achy already, wondering if just lying on my bed and not actually sleeping counts as cheating....

I knew that the biggest part of this challenge would probably be actually getting the tent up in the first place, due to the difficulty of not being able to use pegs except in the gaps between paving stones (which were disappointingly much smaller than I thought, damn whoever did a good job on the paving!) but I wasn't prepared for such an epic. After looking at the weather forecast this morning I realised I would be putting my tent up in the rain and strong winds, my tent normally takes me around ten minutes to erect, so I thought it would easily be up in half an hour, an hour and a half later I realise just how optimistic I was!

Whilst struggling with rocks and bricks to hold the tent down the wind picked up and snapped one of my poles!! I wasn't going to let this put me off though and got the gaffa tape out and distaster was prevented. This demonstrating how it's often those in poverty most affected by extreme weather conditions. The lack of peg placements however almost did defeat me, it was becoming impossible to attatch the tent to the rocks. I had a brainwave though decided to use my precious (and expensive) climbing gear to fix the tent to various large rocks and bricks. I'm not convinced it will hold, and I'm sure it's going to be a very breezy night. I was hoping to make myself extremely comfortable in the tent with a few roll matts but unfortunately in the end I only have access to one very thin one, which probably won't make much difference to the solid and cold paving, but I guess it makes the whole challenge more worthwhile. My yard provides access to the back yards of the other houses along the street so I hope loads of people see my tent and read the sign I'll put on it explaining what I'm doing and why.

Picture of my yard taken earlier, unfortunately pictures of my tent in the dark didn't come out so will have to take one tomorrow morning.

I've gotta say I'm really not looking forward to leaving my lovely, comfy, warm room to go to sleep, but I'm exhausted after a very long weekend away (probably not the best timing just before this challenge) so I will have to head out there soon and hope I manage to get some sleep dispite the cold, string winds, banging gate and uncomfortable paving. I'm very glad this challenge is only for one week, even in warm weather and on comfortable grass, sleeping in a tent (especially one this small) for more than a week is unpleasant. However often the situation isn't so temporary even in "temporary" refugee camps, such as the ones in Lebanon, which have been occupied for over 50 years!

Do you think us privileged people in the UK could do more to prevent the political unrest, war and natural distasters that force people to abandon their homes? Maybe even with small steps at home such as reducing our carbon footprint, to reduce the risk that climate change will endanger those least able to adapt to it.

I will live in a very small tent on my very uncomfortable paved yard for a week, in the cold.

I'm doing this to show solidarity. Every year, more than 35 million people have to abandon their homes as a result of war, crime, political unrest, and natural disaster. Many lose everything they own. I want to demonstrate what it feels like to life without the comforts of your own home.

I live in Lancasterand will ask my MP Eric Ollerenshaw to comment on what I'm doing ... what do you think he will say?