PRIMARY school pupils have braved the elements and slept outside after building their own dens.

Children from Tanfield Lea Primary School, near Stanley, took part in the challenge to raise money for ShelterBox, a homeless charity.

On Wednesday afternoon, children were arranged in teams and used tyres, pallets, rope, pegs, string and sheets to make their dens.

Headteacher Kay Hemmings said: “Our den building afternoon went extremely well and we were blessed with dry weather. We were overwhelmed by how many parents came to support the children. The challenge was to build a community of dens.”

Twenty-seven year five and six children and five staff came back to school for 7 pm to camp in tents on the school field.

They made fire with flints, toasted marshmallows and then explored the theme of strangers arriving in a new land through the picture book ‘The Island’ by Armin Greder.

Ms Hemmings said: “After a warming hot chocolate they headed out to sleep. It was a wild evening, the tents were buffeted throughout the night but the children remained under canvas, although had very little sleep.

“The children have spent the week trying to imagine how it might feel to be homeless and in a foreign country.”