Shropshire Star

It's a marathon, not a sprint for mental health fundraisers

Teachers and pupils have been on their marks for a marathon fundraiser for a mental health charity.

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Sports coach Michael Venn and his daughter Isla at Coleham Primary School

Coleham Primary School in Shrewsbury celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week last week and youngsters and staff embarked on a gruelling fitness event on Friday.

Sports coach Michael Venn and teacher Charlotte Lewis ran a marathon and half marathon made up of 263 laps of the school playground. They were boosted by staff and children currently attending school who came out to join them in their efforts.

Pupils at home were also been tasked with running 26 laps of their garden, running for 26 minutes or whatever they can manage.

Voluntary donations for children’s mental health charity Place2Be have so far raised in excess of £700.

Throughout the week pupils at home and in school participated in daily mindfulness activities, with a mindful minutes competition. And on Friday the children "dressed to express" themselves to join their class Zoom sessions or attend school.

Headteacher Claire Jones said: “It has never been more important to talk about children’s mental health and encourage the children to find activities that help them feel good whether this is baking, reading or physical exercise. With many of our pupils remote learning, it’s shared events like these where the whole school rallies together to support a good cause that help the children feel part of our Coleham family. There’s a real positivity and team spirit from our pupils today."

Mr Venn added: "Thank you so much to the families for their efforts at home and generosity. It's wonderful to see the children so engaged in physical activity and building each other’s confidence as they take part. We’ve had children running as superheroes, in their pyjamas and football kits, it’s been empowering for them. We are so pleased with the amount of money raised for charity."

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