When children’s summer camp volunteer Elspeth Penfold realised the yearly excursions under canvass were hampered by the lack of a marquee, she pledged to raise the cash to hire one.

To that end, the Border Force worker – known as Ellie – is holding an alternative clothing sale at the Alma Pub in Deal today (Saturday).

Ellie, 25, of Northwall Road, Deal, has booked up about 17 stalls, selling garments, accessories and unusual foods.

There will also be a prize draw, and a tattooist will be visiting.

She said: “This is the first in a line of things I’m going to do.”

In January she hopes to hold a family-friendly quiz and get the youngsters involved in fundraising too.

Every July, Ellie volunteers at the United Reformed Church Junior Camp, at Kearsney campsite, where children from Deal, Margate, Westgate, Broadstairs, Folkestone and Dover attend.

The youngsters sing songs around the campfire, make wigwams out of natural materials, try go-karting and archery, and take part in an annual egg race, making rafts to transport their eggs along the Dour at Kearsney.

Ellie, who is not a Christian, helps out on the practical side, arranging activities, reading bed-time stories, and entertaining the children, rather than talking part in worship, which involves Messy Church activities, singing and Bible discussions.

As a teenager she attended the camps every year. She had been a member of the Trinity Church youth group, which was her initial introduction. But it was some time before she realised there was a religious link.

“By then we were hooked,” she said.

The camps cater for children aged eight to 15, but younger children can attend with their parents, and older kids can join in if they take on extra responsibilities.

“You don’t have to be a Christian. I think that is what puts people off. I'm not a Christian" - Ellie Penfold

Ellie said: “We didn’t have enough money to hire a marquee last year for the workshops and to take the teenagers away when the younger ones go to bed, so we had to do it in the dark in the woods.

“When it rained it was awful, so I said I wanted to raise the money for that.”

Since her teen years, when the 60-year-old camp tradition was thriving, numbers have dwindled, so Ellie also hopes to raise awareness of the initiative.

“You don’t have to be a Christian,” she said. “I think that is what puts people off. I’m not Christian. The main emphasis is community and love, and everyone is a family.”

Her reasons for the alternative clothes fair are “purely selfish” she said.

“I have a lot of clothes to sell and I know other people who have got similar types of clothes they want to sell,” she said.

There will be craft stalls, jewellers and novelty cufflinks for sale, as well as unusual foods like baklava, and Filipino cake to try.

And what she raises will enable the camp to buy its marquee and keep the 60-year-old tradition alive.

Elspeth Penfold’s Alternative Clothing Fair takes place between 10am and 4pm today at the Alma pub, West Street, Deal.