Teenagers Making a Difference
Too often teenagers receive bad press for summer holidays wasted infont of the TV, days spent texting, nights spent on the XBox. So it is refreshing to hear of youngsters who have focused their efforts on helping others, and have put in considerable personal effort to do so.
Moreton Hall Sixth Formers, Kathryn Clarke (17) and Rachael Knapton (16) spent their summer in training for the Cheltenham Half Marathon which they ran on September 7th, raising an impressive £1,600 for the charity B-EAT, which helps people with eating disorders.
“As our first half marathon we weren’t really sure what to expect. The first ten miles went by quicker than expected, with help of the supporting crowds and ‘Percy Pigs’ along the way. Everyone was on a high as we passed through the last three miles, managing to finish in 2 hours 10 minutes. The whole day was such a great experience.”
Ruth Jefferis (15) from Oswestry undertook an even more gruelling endeavour, completing the trip of a lifetime this summer: an unsupported charity bike ride in aid of the Rainbow Children’s Hospice.
In just 27 days Ruth and her team completed an immense 1,700 mile stretch from Loughborough to Faro, Portugal – one of Europe’s most southern tips. So far they have raised £7,500 and are hoping to increase that to £10,000.
The Year 11 student at Moreton Hall explained: “Our team of five completed about 65-75 miles per day. We had more than twelve punctures, ate a total of 140 baguettes, 84 tomatoes, countless doughnuts and nutella sandwiches to keep us all fuelled up! One of the toughest days I remember is having to cycle across the Pyrenees. It entailed three and a half hours of cycling up one gigantic hill non-stop!”