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March 30 at 07:35
On the 23 March, pupils at Mary Hare School for the deaf took part in their very first whole-school sponsored walk. The young people, members of staff and some parents of pupils met at Snelsmore Common near Newbury to complete the course.
Pippa Middleton, who is an Ambassador to the Mary Hare School, led the event with a small group of runners, who set the trail for the others.
Pippa said, “Mary Hare is a local charity close to my family home who provide fantastic support to deaf children around the country. I have been involved with them since they opened their new boarding facilities in 2013….It was great fun to be invited to join their Hare & Tortoise sponsored walk/run today. I ran with the ‘hares’ – including pupils of all ages and some members of staff. I was impressed by their enthusiasm and good spirit”
The School is raising funds for their ‘Sink or Swim’ appeal to renovate the swimming pool. The pupils have been getting sponsorship towards this appeal and had raised £2,000 so far from their walk today. The much needed funds will mean the school pool will be fully accessible, with a new ‘pool pod’ (a submersible platform lift) as well as a brand new building to house it. The £300,000 target has almost been met and the new facilities will be ready for the school and local community groups in Newbury during the autumn of this year.
Peter Gale, Principal of the School said, “This was a lovely way to end this term, before pupils went home for Easter. Everyone enjoyed the event and we are now thinking of having it every year.”
Pippa finished the morning with an Easter Egg hunt for the younger children from Mary Hare Primary School.