St Mary's students race back in time to raise money for charity

St Mary’s School’s annual Charity Fun Run, held on Friday 18 October, saw hundreds of students and staff from both the Junior and Senior Schools race around Lammas Land in fancy dress to raise money for charity. This year’s theme - the 1980s - saw students and staff dressed up as everything from Tetris blocks and Rubik’s Cubes to Eddie the Eagle, while Head of Juniors Matthew O’Reilly and Headmistress Charlotte Avery dressed up as members of Eurythmics.

Every year the school raises a substantial amount from the Fun Run to support a variety of local, national and international charities. Last year, the school raised £9,000 to support a range of charities, including Tom’s Trust and SENSE. This year, the school is fundraising for Friends of the Earth, Well Child, Cam Sight and the building of a new Mary Ward secondary school in Mbizo, Zimbabwe. The Fun Run was preceded by ‘Pink Morning’, during which students wore pink items of clothing to raise money for Breast Cancer Now as part of their national ‘Wear It Pink’ campaign.

Headmistress Charlotte Avery commented: “Our Fun Run is a great way to raise money for charity, whilst having a lot of fun just ahead of half term holidays! The girls were in great spirits; they ran in lovely mild, sunny conditions despite a brief downpour before the start. With Junior and Senior School pupils running and raising sponsor money, we hope that the combined effort will enable St Mary’s to meaningfully support several worthwhile causes.”