18 May Essex School Prepares for Race to British Library
A team of teachers, governors and parents from The Bishops’ C of E and RC Primary School in Springfield, Chelmsford, is preparing for a race to the British Library, as part of their latest fundraising efforts towards building a new sports hall facility. The school, which organised a 62-mile fundraising race to St Augustine’s church in Canterbury in 2019, has created a book about the recent lockdown experience that they will take to the British Library as part of the event.
Participants in the race will be running, walking or cycling their way to the British Library from the school’s own library, which happens to have been designed by the same architect as London’s impressive landmark, Colin St. John Wilson. The event is taking place on Friday 28th May with a staggered start to ensure everyone arrives at the destination by 2.30pm, before the British Library closes for the day.
Mr Waters, Head Teacher of The Bishops’, will be leading a group of cyclists for the event. He comments:
“We have outgrown our existing school hall and need a new building that will house improved sports, performing arts and assembly activities. To do this, we’ve had to become quite ambitious with our fundraising efforts and we’re exploiting the enthusiasm for sport among our super supportive parent and teacher community. We feel privileged to benefit from a library with such prestigious connections and we wanted to recognise that in our latest fundraising plans too. The lockdown book is a way of showing our appreciation for the extraordinary efforts of our school community in light of the past year’s challenges and it ties in well with our library-to-library race.”
Mr Evans, Year 5 teacher at The Bishops’, who will be running the 35 miles with a group of parents, adds:
“We were so encouraged by the incredible amount of sponsorship we received from the previous 62-mile race and we hope to get just as much support for this event. A new sports hall will create so many more opportunities for the children and the school community to access a wider education, particularly in the area of sports and performing arts.”
Chair of Governors at The Bishops’, Mrs Uzzell will be walking the 35 mile race. To ensure she meets the cyclists and runners at a similar finish time, she will be walking half of the distance on Thursday 27th May and finishing up the race on Friday 28th May with the other participants.
The Bishops’ lockdown book features pictures, poems and memoirs from almost every pupil in the school, and some staff and parents. This reflection on life during the pandemic will be available to buy following the fundraising race.
