Newbury man to spend 366 days living in a tent

Michael Barton, aged 46, of Hambridge Road, who is self-employed, is undertaking the challenge primarily to encourage people to “push the button” and test their smoke alarms.
When he was four-years-old, Mr Barton was badly hurt in a fire at the family home in Bolton, along with his 18-month-old brother and seven-year-old sister.
Although they all survived the terrifying accident, they were left with varying degrees of burns and scars, which Mr Barton said dictated the way their school lives would play out.
He suffered third degree burns to 29 per cent of his body. He needed about 60 operations and was in and out of hospital for two-and-a-half years.
Mr Barton, who moved to Newbury last May and is currently pitched up at a Wash Water campsite, said: “The fire happened so quickly. The room just went up. I went past the point of pain. I watched my sister melt in front of me.
“I watched her change from who she was then to who she is now.”
He said that what followed were years of bullying at school.
When he went to senior school, aged 11, he was given a wig and classmates would steal it and kick it around. Mr Barton said that he also remembered a girl bursting into tears when she was asked to partner him during a dance class.
He said: “I felt totally isolated.I lost my school life by keeping out of the way of people.
“Humans can’t help but treat something or someone who looks different harshly, and this resulted in many years of sustained bullying, from name calling to physical attacks.
“As a family, we all went through this experience and, as hard as it was to deal with, we had to learn to adopt coping strategies to overcome it.”
Now, he says he wants to do something about it.
He plans to live in his tent for a year and a day, taking it with him as he visits schools and colleges around the UK to give talks on growing up with scars, advice on fire prevention and safety and coping with bullying.
He will be raising money for Royal Manchester Children's Hospital burns unit and the support group BUGS, based at Odstock Centre, Salisbury.
One of the roles of BUGS is to sponsor children and young adults to attend camps and outdoor pursuit to encourage social interaction.
He said: “I intend to show children and young adults that life goes on, that a great life can be had and that nothing should hold them back – it all starts with strong healthy personal belief.
“Schools do have bullying plans, especially these days, but a lot of children need to be encouraged to take the step to report the bully.
“I want to tell people to test their smoke alarms because they do save lives. What only took minutes has indeed had a lifetime effect.”
Visit Mr Barton’s Facebook Page ‘A year and a day in a tent’ or his YouTube channel ‘Behind Canvas Walls’. People can also show support and donate by skyping or email him at ayearandadayinatent@hotmail.com