by Alex Claridge

Wacky Ross Waldron spent a day sitting in a tub of baked beans to raise money for charity.

The 16-year-old (pictured left) Chaucer School pupil was submerged in 186 cans of beans at the Whitefriars shopping centre in central Canterbury for eight hours.

He raised £562 which will be put towards sending him on a trip to Kenya next summer where he will help build a school with the charity Camps International.

The beans were donated by Tesco, where Ross works at the Whitstable store.

Ross, of Field End Place in Boughton, said: “Everyone thinks I’m bonkers for doing this, but they’ve been really supportive too.

“Loads of my friends and even the teachers from school have been down to see me.

“I got used to the smell of beans quite quickly, but it was quite uncomfortable and I got cold in the afternoon, especially when the wind picked up.

“But it’s all for a good cause.”

Ross was helped out by his sisters Page, 13, and Taylor, 11, and step-father Tony Barnett.

But it was his mother Kelly who came up with the idea and who spent months planning it.

She said: “It was a fantastic day and we were absolutely gobsmacked with the amount we raised. It exceeded all our expectations and was much more than we could have wished for.”

Passers-by were invited to guess how many tins of beans were used and the those who came closest received prizes.

Kelly added: “It’s been a lot of work, but I’d especially like to thank Whitefriars and Towergate Insurance, who have been the main sponsor.”