IT’S a challenge that is good for the waistline and the wallet but more importantly it helps those living in poverty.

To raise funds and awareness of the 1.4 billion people worldwide living in extreme poverty, six Poole residents limited themselves to spending only £1 a day on all their food and drink.

“What I missed most was cheese,” said Helen Davis, 68, who undertook the challenge for the second year with husband Reg, 67.

“And chocolate, that was out of the picture. Fresh fruit is quite expensive but we did have half a banana each one day,” she said.

Being retired the couple had time to shop around and find bargains such as reduced loaves of bread at 10p a time.

“I wondered when shopping for bargains in the supermarket just before closing time, would I be helping myself to those 10p reduced items when someone who really needs them might be right behind me?” she said.

Staples such as pasta and potatoes were cheap and filling along with rice, bought in quantity. Helen said they would probably have spent around £50 on five days food and instead they raised around £200 in sponsorship for Results UK, for the Live Below the Line campaign.

“It is easy to be frugal for five days: knowing that on Saturday we could eat whatever we liked. How different it must be if you are drowning in debt, or living in long term poverty, with no hope of a better life; what must that feel like?”

She added: “Yes I did lose weight. You don’t feel hungry all the time, if you are careful about it.”