Could You Live Below The Line?

Stephen Cottrell, the Bishop of Chelmsford, grew up in Leigh on Sea. In this Essex Life column, Stephen shares an insight into his experiences across the county

- Stephen Cottrell

HOW WOULD YOU manage on just £1 a day for all your food and drink?

This is the challenge of an initiative called Living Below the Line, a scheme that has been championed by the Salvation Army and supported by other church organisations and charities. The idea behind the challenge is to give us all a tiny glimpse of the harsh realities of extreme poverty.

1.2 billion people live below the line. What this means is that they have to survive on the equivalent of £1 a day. That is £1 for all their food, shelter, education, clothing and medical supplies. The Living Below the Line challenge just asks us to spend £1 a day on food and drink for a period of time, but it is still pretty tough.

A couple of years ago my wife and I took part in the Living Below the Line challenge during Lent. Our weekly food budget was a tenner! That was £5 each for five consecutive days.