An incredible burst of community energy has swept through a Torquay primary school, where pupils smashed fitness goals to fund a magical new woodland-themed reading oasis. The children at Warberry C of E Academy, part of the Learning Academy Partnership, have successfully raised more than £1,500 toward the exciting library revamp after completing an incredible whole-school active challenge inspired by their headteacher’s recent London Marathon achievement.
The fundraising campaign brought together two of the school’s greatest passions, reading and physical activity, as pupils, staff and families took part in an ‘Active Challenge Weekend’ to support plans for a major library revamp. Headteacher Steve Bone set a brilliant example to pupils, completing his first London Marathon in an impressive time of three hours and three minutes.
Children across the school set themselves their own active challenges, including bike rides, long walks, skipping, dancing, swimming and running, with families helping to collect sponsorship from friends and relatives. The challenge culminated in a whole-school event where pupils and staff spent 20 minutes walking and running laps around the school grounds. Together, the school community completed an astonishing 2,372 laps, equivalent to more than 400 miles or over 15 marathons in a single morning.
The funds raised will help transform the school library into a calm and inspiring woodland-themed space designed to encourage children to discover new books and authors. The school is looking forward to holding an official opening of the space in the next academic year.
Warberry Primary School has already raised more than £1,500 towards the project, with donations continuing to come in through the school’s fundraising page. Steve Bone, headteacher at Warberry C of E Academy said: “The children were absolutely incredible throughout the challenge and hearing about their own activities while I was running the London Marathon genuinely kept me going. The atmosphere around the school has been fantastic and it has been wonderful to see children so enthusiastic about both being active and supporting reading at the same time. We are hugely grateful to everyone who has supported the campaign so far.”
The fundraising initiative is supporting plans to redesign the school library with new flooring, bookcases, décor and a wider selection of books to help inspire a lifelong love of reading among pupils. “Our vision is to create a calm, welcoming and imaginative space where children can relax, explore new stories and develop a genuine love of reading. The support from our families and wider community has been amazing,” added Bone.
Tracey Cleverley, Trust lead at the Learning Academy Partnership said: “Warberry C of E Academy has shown incredible energy, creativity and community spirit through this challenge. It has been inspiring to see pupils, staff and families come together around two things that are at the heart of school life here, reading and being active. The fact that the children have collectively covered over 400 miles is an outstanding achievement and a real reflection of their enthusiasm and determination. We are so proud of Mr Bone for leading by example and completing the London Marathon, which clearly sparked real excitement across the school.”
