A COUNCILLOR is to experience the crisis faced by wartime families up and down the country - how to survive on rations.

Eastleigh Borough Council member Cllr Chris Thomas, who represents Eastleigh North, has agreed to spend a week on 1945 food restrictions.

He has taken up the challenge in the build-up to this year’s wartime inspired Eastleigh Mardi Gras, which he organises.

“I hope to lose weight and draw attention to the fact that we complain bitterly about all sorts of things but life was a lot harder then than it is now,” said Cllr Thomas, a grandfather in his 60s.

“This is austerity, real austerity.

“I’m going to try and make it as authentic as I can.”

Rations for the week include 2oz of butter, 4oz margarine, 2oz lard, 2oz cheese, 4oz of bacon and ham, 8oz of mince, 3 pints of milk, 2oz of tea, 8oz of sugar and one egg.

As imported supplies dwindled during the Second World War rations from 1940 onwards affected aspects of daily life, although Cllr Thomas will not be including clothes, toiletries or petrol for practical reasons.

Food was strictly controlled with rations on butter, sugar, meat, tea, jam, biscuits, breakfast cereals, cheese, eggs, lard, milk and canned or dried fruit.

Many of these rations continued long after the war and the last ended in 1950.

Cllr Thomas’ challenge will take place in the week before Mardi Gras events kick off, starting Thursday.

Titled The War is Over! It’s Time to Party, as in previous years Eastleigh Mardi Gras will see residents line the streets for a colourful procession on September 19 at 5pm.

This is part of a day of entertainment at Eastleigh’s Leigh Road Recreation Ground running 10am to 7.30pm, with people encouraged to wear 1940s dress.

There will be wartime related activities, including a remote controlled aircraft display and popular wartime hits sung by Hampshire singers the Air Raid Sirens.

In the build up to the day, there will be a series of Mardi Gras activities in Eastleigh the week before.

This includes a bowling event at Hollywood Bowl, a Fat Tuesday where people are encouraged to eat in Eastleigh with some restaurants offering discounts, a Work Out Wednesday with special offers at Fleming Park Leisure Centre, an event at the Litten Tree pub in the High Street on Thursday and then a Mardi Gras party at the Irish Club in Station Hill on Friday.

Eastleigh Mardi Gras was introduced four years ago to replace the town’s carnival, which ended after 124 years.

“It’s going to be interesting - I’m doing it for a week, these people were doing it for years, “said Cllr Thomas, of Cedar Road, Eastleigh.

“I was quite shocked when I saw what people were eating - my mum was living on that and she was working in a factory building aircraft.”