A handful of fundraisers have been living it rough on a Petersfield park in aid of homeless military veterans.

Five people from the town council and Royal British Legion recently spent a night under the stars as part of The Great Tommy Sleep Out.

Their alfresco mission was to raise £1,000 for the RBL Industries appeal through a sponsored sleep-out, with proceeds helping some of the country’s most vulnerable veterans.

A steady stream of well-wishers gave food, support and encouragement to the ‘Petersfield Community Campers’ after they put up tarpaulin at The Avenue pavilion.

The hardy handful of Cllr Chris Paige, Phil Swan, Tom Jepson, Daz Hare and Juile Hibbs spent 24 hours in the great outdoors, with Messrs Paige and Swan thanking the community for their support.

The BAE-sponsored challenge is close to Cllr Paige’s heart as the Petersfield RBL chairman was homeless for 18 months after leaving the army.

He said: “So many people came along and encouraged us and brought us plenty of food. We were open to people bringing us food because it’s much like what would happen to a homeless person. We stayed outside in the wet and the rain as long as we could and slept under a little tarpaulin. It was really worthwhile experience.”

Mr Swan said: “The point was to raise awareness of The Great Tommy Sleep Out and what some veterans are going through. We’re going to make it an annual thing.”

To donate look for Petersfield Community Campers on www.justgiving.com