On Friday 2 October, Sara Sullivan, a solicitor from Chandlers Ford in Eastleigh,  became one of 2,400 people from around the UK to participate in Anthony Gormley’s One and Other project. 

The project, which began on 6 July 2009, involved members of the public spending an hour each alone on the empty fourth plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Sara, 39, applied in July but never expected to be chosen. During her hour, she knitted a ‘plinth scarf’ to raise money for ActionAid, who her family have supported for many years.

The scarf consisted of sixty rows of seventeen stitches, representing the seventeen children that will die of poverty every minute of the sixty minutes she is up there.

"I had a fantastic time on the plinth. It was amazing to be able to get the message outto such a wide audience. Thanks to everyone who supported me either in messages of support or in sponsorship. I think the money may top the £500 mark. More importantly I hope that it has raised the profile of child sponsorship and others will decide to sponsor a child.

“As a family, we have supported ActionAid since my sister went to visit a project in Kenya in the 1980s and following this, my parents decided to sponsor a child. After my Dad died in 2000, my husband and I decided to begin sponsoring a child in India and a few years later, another in Malawi.

“As a mother of two, I am very conscious of how lucky my children are that they do not have to go bed hungry or suffer from a lack of medical care or education and I wanted to use my time on the plinth to help those less fortunate.”

In fact, Sara's already raised over £600 - and it's  not too late to add your contribution.