Homeless people in Oxfordshire are to benefit from the work of 12 schoolgirls.

Lady Sylvia McLintock with the pupils

The 13 and 14-year-old pupils from Our Lady's Convent School, in Abingdon, won the county schools' citizenship project and received a plaque and a cheque for £500 from the former High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, Lady Sylvia McLintock.

Each of the girls, who will have £10 each from the £500 prize money, raised £1,000 in sponsorship and from a disco to fund the project.

The unspent money from both the prize and sponsorship comes to more than £1,000. This will be shared between homeless centres in Oxford -- the Night Shelter, the Julian Housing centre, The Gap and The Bridge.

Lady McLintock praised their dedication and commitment to the project, called "Beat the Street".

She said: "This was an outstanding project produced by a committed team whose members displayed initiative and energy.

"The group chose to produce a video and documents on the very topical issue of homelessness in the community. Their project was the best in a very close competition involving 20 schools."

Citizenship forms part of the national curriculum. Topics explored include homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, recycling, pollution, the environment, facilities for disabled people and sports amenities.

The girls from Our Lady's Convent looked at the problems facing homeless people.

They visited the Oxford Night Shelter and other support agencies.

They interviewed homeless people to discover why they are without a home and the problems they encounter trying to escape their predicament.

And to show that they were not afraid to sample the life of sleeping out, the girls spent a night last winter sleeping in the school playing fields.

They wrapped up in layers of warm clothes, curled up in sleeping bags and cardboard boxes and tried to get to sleep as the temperature plunged to minus 3C.