A LIVING room in the pouring rain would be few people's idea of fun, but that was precisely what was set up in the centre of Worcester yesterday, in an effort to highlight the plight of the city's homeless population.

NHS trainee managers were given the task to raise the profile of the Maggs Day Centre as part of a team-building exercise.

With just 24 hours notice, they set up the outdoor living area outside the Guildhall, organised an auction, and persuaded people to part with their hard-earned money.

One of the organisers, Jenny McConnell, was delighted with the response they received.

She said: "We went around businesses asking for furniture for the living room and for prizes for the auction and most of them were extremely supportive.

"The whole idea of the day was to bring the subject of homelessness out into the open and to raise awareness of some of the issues which people usually try to bury."

The Maggs Day Centre, in Deansway, was opened in 1984 when John Maggs, a homeless man in his mid-40s, was found dead there.

It costs about £100,000 a year to run the centre, but despite grants and donations always finds itself with a shortfall of about £30,000.

John Gregory, chairman of the Maggs trustees, said: "We are delighted with the response we have had and for the efforts these future NHS senior managers have put in."