[S]TAFF, STUDENTS AND FRIENDS of Appleby Grammar School in Cumbria all recently entered to run in the Great North Run in Newcastle on Sunday September 10th for Child Bereavement UK.
Local schools Appleby and the Eden Valley faced numerous challenges over the last 18 months, but by far the most overwhelming was the sudden and tragic deaths of three young local people. As a secondary and primary school with close links to these students both past and present, they have felt this loss acutely.
Leader of student support in year 7 Ms Rowan said “We have all been united in our grief and sadness but none of us can imagine the depth of pain suffered by their close friends and family. We have therefore decided to take on a challenge in their memory to raise as much money as we can for the charity Child Bereavement UK which has helped support students staff and family members through a very sad time.”
Child Bereavement UK is this country’s leading charity in educating professionals and supporting families both when a child dies or a child is bereaved.
In order to complete the Great North Run adults are expected to run 13.1 miles whilst the students taking part run 2.5 miles (4k) on Saturday September 9.
The students taking part are Will Davies, Brad Tallentire Daw, Ben Walsh, Reece Eggleston and Hannah Jo Eggleston. They will be running in memory of their friend and school mate, Sonny Pearson, who died aged just 11 years old in January 2016.
Staff involved are: Mrs Truch and Mrs Benson who train in the mountains around Kendal and the Lake District; Mr Barton who teaches PE and is a keen rugby player; Ms Rowan has combined her love of running on roads and Lakeland trails with her training in the Army Reserves; Ms Auchterlonie, Mrs Griffiths and Mrs Linsley (Headteacher of Warcop Primary) who have trained in the Eden valley area with the support of family and friends, and have been helped by the weekly Parkrun 5k in Penrith.
So far funds raised have exceeded £2000 and the entire team wishes to thank all the many supporters. If you would like to find out more information or support the team and help them to reach their target of £2500, a Virgin Money Giving page can be found at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/ApplebyMagnificent7
