A VICAR and her gang got streetwise in the name of charity when they roughed it for a night on the Wilmslow streets – and bagged £3,700 for Colombian street children.
Magdalen Smith, vicar at St Bartholomew’s and St Anne’s churches, braved a 24-hour sleepout with her daughter Evie and members of her congregation to raise money for charity "Let the Children Live" – and while Wilmslow isn’t the most ghetto of places, it presented its own challenges.
Magdalen, a mum of two who usually lives more comfortably in her Parkway home, said: "It got pretty tough at one point, at about 2am when it got really cold, but we made it through.
"We had sleeping bags but nothing else. We had to take it in turns at night to keep watch and when we went collecting the next day we were all dirty and smelly. But people were so kind and our morale was high."
The plucky 12 bedded down in a loading bay at Sainsbury’s and, after making it through the night, they took their dishevelled selves to roam Grove Street, rattling collection tins to raise money for a home and drop-in centre in Medellin, Colombia’s second biggest city.
Magdalen chose her cause after watching the plight of children in the Indian slums in box office smash Slumdog Millionaire.
Magdalen added: "I was just appalled that so many really young children live on the streets and decided to sleep rough myself. It’s such an important cause and we did fantastically well. It’s nice to know where the money will go. It will buy food and drink and help with shelter for the children, giving friendship and love."
She added: "I was just so impressed with how everyone supported us. We had free drinks all day from Starbucks and Waterstones made us tea. It was great for building links with the business community. There was a lot going on in Wilmslow that day, it felt good. I want to thank everyone for their support."
If you still want to donate, contact Magdalen on 01625 524717, or by email on revmagssmith@btinternet.com .
For information on the charity, visit www.letthechildrenlive.org .
