Pupils at Llangain Primary School are helping their teacher – Kathleen Jones, to train for the London Marathon by running a mile with her every day.
Kathleen is the school’s PE and Healthy Schools Coordinator and is running the Marathon to raise money for TACT (The Adolescent and Children’s Trust) Cymru, which is the Welsh branch of the charity.
The walking or running a mile or for 15 minutes a day initiative has been set up to improve the health and well-being of the children during the school day, and has proved to be particularly useful for Kathleen as both she and the pupils are able to encourage each other.
Kathleen said:”This is my first London Marathon so I was feeling rather nervous about whether I would be able to prepare myself properly for the challenge or not. However, being able to exercise with the children has made training so much more fun and now I want to finish the Marathon for them as much as for TACT Cymru.”
Kathleen added: “Every day we have been doing exercise and it has been great.”
It sees pupils getting up from their desks and taking 15 minutes to walk or run around the school playground or even down at their local park.
Speaking about doing the marathon on Sunday, April 23, Kathleen added:“I am hoping to raise a minimum of £1,500, which will be donated to TACT Cymru, in helping them provide support and care for vulnerable children in children and young people in Wales.
“Working with children daily as a primary school teacher, I believe that every child deserves a happy childhood and some children find themselves having to go into care, through no fault of their own, which is why I am taking on this challenge to support such a worthy cause.”
“Please donate whatever you can, however little, as every pound will make a difference
To support Kathleen in her Marathon challenge visit her JustGiving page here.