Sam EmanuelAdventurous scouts touched by the tragic scenes in Haiti have braved the icy temperatures to camp overnight in aid of a charity providing shelter for earthquake victims.Sam Emanuel

Adventurous scouts touched by the tragic scenes in Haiti have braved the icy temperatures to camp overnight in aid of a charity providing shelter for earthquake victims.

The 1st Tasburgh Explorer Scouts managed to raise �1,228.35 for Shelterbox with their overnight sponsored camp in February.

The money is enough for the charity to buy two-and-a-half shelterboxes, each containing a disaster relief tent for up to ten people, water purification equipment, a stove, blankets and other items essential for survival.

Each box costs �490 and this includes its contents, transport and the highly trained team of volunteers who travel out with the boxes, ensuring they reach those in most need.

Roger Knight, assistant Explorer Scout leader, said: 'It turned out to be a chilly February night down to minus temperatures, and we woke up to a very frosty morning.

'We are delighted with the achievement of our 12 Explorer Scouts. We will be sending a cheque to Shelterbox this week and look forward to being able to report back to our Explorers so that they can track the shelterbox and the results of their efforts.

'Because of the unique box IDs, we will be able to show our Explorers how the effort they made would be deployed and benefit those who received the Shelterboxes. In effect this would allow us to close the loop, unlike other disaster relief funding where the money would simply get lost in a larger effort that the youngsters could not necessarily identify with.

'We thought that the idea of camping outside in February would be one which people we approached for sponsorship would find hard to believe and therefore would think it was worth sponsoring us. This certainly appeared to be the case from the reaction we got from people we approached.

'Camping, and the planning that goes with it, is also part of our scouting activities.'

Have you done something unusual for a good cause? Call Sam Emanuel on 01603 772438 or email sam.emanuel@archant.co.uk.