Favela in Rio De Janiero

Presenter getting involved with humanity charity

Kaddy Lee-Preston

Kent celebrity and former BBC weather presenter Kaddy Lee Preston will be helping to build a shanty town in a wealthy area of Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Kaddy, known for her time with BBC South East, will be the celebrity ambassador for international housing charity Habitat For Humanity as they bring their annual 24-hour “Shack Attack” to Calverley Grounds on September 8 and 9.

The meteorologist said: “Habitat For Humanity have done this a few times before.

“They have chosen Tunbridge Wells this year to get volunteers together to bring along items that they can build a shack out of. They can experience what it is like for people who have to live in the same way.

Habitat For Humanity Shack Attack day

“It is a fun way of raising awareness of what the charity do and also showing what people around the globe are having to deal with.”

Teams will build their shacks out of raw materials and stay in them overnight as part of the challenge. Huge shanty towns or favelas often spring-up surrounding major cities around the world including on the outskirts of Cape Town in South Africa and Rio De Janiero in Brazil. Often made from reused corrugated iron and precariously built in dangerous terrain, these dwellings are home to millions of the poorest people in the world.

Kaddy said: “The charity contacted me and I just thought it was an amazing idea and I wanted to be involved. It sounded really exciting and very un-Tunbridge Wells so that kind of appealed to me as well.

“I am going to try to help teams build shacks and put things together but really I will be just raising awareness and chatting to people on the day and hopefully getting the weather right. I will need to tell teams whether or not they need to make a water proof shack!”

“Hats off to everyone who is going to be sleeping in their home made shelters because I think that is going to be really tough.”

Shack Attack runs for 24hours from 10am on Saturday, September 8 until Midday on Sunday, September 9.

Habitat for Humanity will also cook and evening meal and breakfast for the shack challengers.

For more information and updates visit www.kaddy.tv or www.shackattack.org.uk