Youngsters spent a night sleeping in cardboard shelters to raise awareness of homelessness.

Members of the 22-strong 11th Outlane Beavers made their own sleeping bays out of cardboard and parcel tape and spent Saturday night in the church hall before awaking to cereal, bacon and sausages and joining the congregation at the church’s Sunday carol service.

The sleepover was organised for the six to eight-year-olds by Beaver Scout Leader Bev Oldfield.

She said: “We have sleepovers at camp, but this time we decided to have one with a theme of homelessness around Christmas time.

"We even tried cooking hotdogs over a candle to show how homeless people struggle – although they had some properly cooked ones for supper.

"For some of them, it was their first night away from home without their parents.”