A Dundee woman who plans to spend 50 hours inside a glass box at Tesco launched her stunt to a crowd of cheering onlookers.
Meg Jones hopes to raise awareness and funds for autism spectrum conditions, a cause close to her heart due to her brother being diagnosed with Asperger’s.
The 21-year-old stepped inside the 3×2 metre structure, located in the foyer of the Tesco Extra at the city’s Riverside Drive, at 12pm and will not leave until 2pm on Saturday.
Speaking before the launch, the Dundee College graduate said: “I’m a little bit nervous but very excited and just anxious to get going.
“I’ll be sleeping on a little camp bed, in a sleeping bag and I’ll also be eating all my meals inside the box.
“I won’t be too claustrophobic as I’ll be able to see out of the box and interact with people.
“The whole point is to let people know what’s going on so that I can raise awareness of autism.
“Hopefully it will be a good talking point for shoppers and they’ll want to get involved with the whole thing.”
So far Meg has raised over £400 on her Just Giving page for disability charity Caudwell Children and hopes that this figure will grow.
To keep her entertained while she’s in the box, her friends plan to play the accordion and draw sketches of her.
Andy Bailey, campaigns manager for Caudwell Children, said: “I’m supporting Meg in her campaign – I think what she’s doing is amazing.
“She is actually putting her life on hold for 50 hours and putting herself on public display.
“In a way, autism is like living in a glass box – the difficulties in communication, being stared at from all directions, having a sense of being trapped and judged – so the box is a good representation of the condition.
“Sleeping will be a challenge for Meg as the store is open 24 hours and all the lights are on, but I’m sure she’ll cope.
“She’s a character!”
Meg has been the community champion at the Tesco Extra Store since January and has the support of her colleagues for the challenge.
You can support her through her JustGiving page or donate by texting LIFA91 £5 to 70070.
