Sponsored walk raises £3,200 for Lancaster charity

Our Lady’s Catholic College this year opted to donate the proceeds of their annual eight-mile sponsored walk to Neuro DropIn – a Lancaster-based centre for people with neruological conditions.

The walk is a whole school event, with most of the students and staff taking part.

Pupils are asked to donate a minimum of £3 each and are encouraged to get as much sponsorship as possible from friends and family.

Three Year 8 students visited the Neuro DropIn centre where they met with founder Sharon Jackson to talk about what the centre’s purpose is, how its visitors benefit and how important the fundraising was.

Sharon told the students the money raised could potentially pay for physio workshops, or help update some much needed areas of the centre with new carpets and making a wet room available.

After weeks and weeks of dry weather, the inevitable happened on the day of the walk – it rained! But this didn’t deter anybody and the students donned their rain jackets and sensible shoes and arrived at school raring to go.

Luckily, the rain wasn’t constant and it just drizzled on and off throughout the day, though the muggy, stuffy weather added an extra challenge to the eight miles on foot.

The pupils left school in year groups in staggered starts and travelled along the River Lune cycle track to the Crook o’Lune picnic park where they were able to stop for a lunch break and some much needed rest before walking the four miles back.

Money came in on the day, and then kept coming and coming all week. It was still being counted right up until the last minute of school closing on Friday afternoon. The final total of £3200 even surpassed the school’s expectations for what would be raised.

Headteacher Mrs Helen Seddon and all the staff were completely blown away by the generosity of the students and their families, and the persistence of the youngsters making sure they chased every last penny of sponsorship right to the last minute.

lThe Lancaster Guardian is currently running a campaign for the Neuro DropIn aimed at raising awareness of the vital work it carries out for those with neurological conditions. Keep reading over the coming weeks for regular updates.