Girl guides overcame their fears to spend a spooky evening in a Suffolk church, raising funds for children living in the shadow of a Soviet nuclear disaster.

The 1st Bramford Girl Guides camped in St Mary’s Church on Friday night where they watched aerial displays by the vestry bats while enjoying their bedtime snacks.

Reverend Jenny Seggar, who challenged the girls to stay as part of their efforts in aid of the Chernobyl Children’s Life Line, also took them on a tour around the medieval church.

Guide leader Bridget Jackaman said the young fundraisers were “quite anxious” about their spooky surroundings although they soon overcame their nerves.

The guides have been raising funds for the Needham Market-based charity over the past five years to offer the Belarussian youngsters a respite break from the radiation and poverty back home.

The entire region has been blighted ever since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

Ms Jackaman said: “In today’s society, children have so much and yet they don’t always appreciate how difficult it is for those less fortunate, so it’s really good for them to learn to help these youngsters.”