Led by MP Oona King and actor Colin Salmon, the groups and local schoolchildren will carry the word poverty into a local historical museum.

The event has been planned by the Make Poverty History campaign, which recently brought former South African leader Nelson Mandela to London.

It will take place at the 19 Princelet St museum in Spitalfields on Tuesday.

Adrian Lovett, from MakePovertyHistory organisers Oxfam, said the stunt would "demonstrate how communities across London are rising to the challenge and demanding that world leaders act".

He said people needed "to put an end to the needless poverty that caused 1,200 people to die every hour of every single day".

Nineteen Princelet St is a local museum showing the history of migration to Britain, including those who were forced to travel because of poverty, famine or persecution.

Mr Mandela's speech at London's Trafalgar Square urged British people to force their leaders to confront poverty in the developing world.