Felsted School’s Head Chris Townsend alongside Simone Gubbins, whose daughters attend Felsted Prep, rose to the challenge to complete 12 four-mile runs in 48 hours, all in aid of the mental health charity YoungMinds.Â
Chris and Simone took on the Goggins 4x4x48 Challenge, which required them to run four miles every four hours – day and night – over two days.
Cheered on by pupils and parents, the pair set off from the prep school at 1pm on Friday 13 September and by 10:00am on Sunday 15 September they returned to the school’s main cricket pitch, having completed all 12 runs, including the Great Notley Park Run on Saturday morning.
‘This was a huge personal challenge for both of us, testing us physically, but even more so, challenging us mentally to keep going when things get tough,’ said Chris. ‘We were greatly spurred on by the support of the Felsted community and the thought that we were raising money for one of the most important charities supported by the school, YoungMinds, which creates change so that children and young people can cope with life’s adversities, find help when needed and succeed in life.’
Through sponsorship, Chris and Simone raised over £4,000 for YoungMinds, the UK’s leading charity championing the wellbeing and mental health of children and young people.
‘I am so proud that we have raised over £4,448 for the provision of mental health services for young people’ comments Simone. ‘Thank you to Chris for agreeing to and sharing this experience with me, and to the many local supporters and runners who carried us along the way.’
Throughout the academic year Felsted School, a co-educational independent boarding and day school in north Essex, supports numerous good causes, selected by the pupils themselves, who initiate and run fundraising activities, from sponsored 24 hour trampolining, school fetes and bake sales to various sponsored runs, including colour runs, marathons and even a gruelling 106km Ultra Marathon in the Lake District – taken on by two Felsted Sixth Formers in aid of SSAFA, an Armed Forces charity. Pupils also give up their time to volunteer for organisations supporting people locally and around the world, including helping out at an East London night shelter and foodbank and working with disadvantaged children in Mumbai and Malawi.
Felsted has recently been shortlisted for the Finals of the Independent Schools of the Year Awards 2024 for ‘The Development Award for an Outstanding Fundraising Achievement’. This recognises Felsted School’s first ever Giving Day in April 2024, which raised over £118,000 towards transformational bursaries. Felsted School also won Boarding School of the Year 2023 at the TES Schools Awards and in March 2024 was appointed by IB-Schools.com as ‘A Top 20 UK IB School for 2023’ for excellence in academic achievement.
Categories: Felsted School School News
