A pastor has spent a week in a wheelchair in a bid to raise money for prosthetic legs for a Romanian teenager.

Julian Downward, Pastor of the Wessex Christian Centre, was sponsored and hopes to have raised thousands of pounds.

The 40-year-old father-of-four is behind an appeal to raise £9,000 for 14-year-old Emanuela, who he met while helping at a Christian orphanage in the city of Oradea.

He said: “For seven days, 24 hours a day, I tried to discover what it is like to live without the use of my legs.

“I knew it was going to be hard but I was not prepared for exactly how difficult it was. It was enlightening to discover that simple things like going shopping, using public toilets or even getting into bed are almost impossible.”

And he said that after spending just a week in a wheelchair, he found it hard to adjust to walking again and could not properly keep his balance.

Julian’s efforts were supported by various other events held by members of the Hinton Road church, including collections and a sponsored walk.

The Pastor added: “I have received help from a lot of people and I would like to thank them all. “In Romania Emanuela has no opportunity to get the money to pay for prosthetic legs.”

Julian has been helping at the orphanage for the last four years and has teamed up with a prosthetics clinic.

Anyone interested in supporting the campaign can get details by visiting bealifechanger.co.uk.