Two best friends from Hitchin braved the summer storms and slept out under the stars in a shelter they constructed themselves to raise nearly £200 for Save the Children’s annual Den Day Challenge.

The Comet: Ellie Stone and Phoebe DellerEllie Stone and Phoebe Deller (Image: Archant)

Phoebe Deller and Ellie Stone – both aged 13 and who attend The Priory School and Hitchin Girls’ School – built their den using cardboard, plastic sheeting, tree branches and lots of string.

The duo were determined to last out the night despite whatever the weather decided to throw at them. In the event, after some early evening showers, the rest of the night was calm and rain-free.

Phoebe described how they found the experience. “The dawn chorus was what woke us up,” she said.

“I turned and said to Ellie: ‘The birds are very dawn chorus,’ because I wasn’t really comprehending what was happening due to a night of sleeping on rather uncomfortable cardboard.

“This made us realise that we might complain, but to a lot of the kids that Save the Children is helping, our rather uncomfortable cardboard and cold den – although, admittedly, we had blankets and sleeping bags – would seem like luxury.”

Phoebe and Ellie were among thousands of primary and secondary aged children throughout the country who got sponsored to build super shelters – indoors or out – to help make life better for children who don’t have a safe place to sleep because they have been displaced from their homes by war or natural disasters.

Proud mum Kate Deller added: “I’m very proud of both of them. They did very well to last the whole night under the stars.”

For more details about the project visit the charity’s website at www.denday.savethechildren.org.