Competition for schools who enter the award winning local half marathon

Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School has won the Ealing Half Marathon 2019 Schools Challenge.

The school entered a team into Ealing Half Marathon in order to help raise funds for the Vaughan Foundation. This is the school’s charitable arm and the funds will allow pupils to compete in extra-curricular sport, specifically it will provide pupils with funds to ensure they can participate in extra-curricular tours, e.g. Italy Rugby Tour 2020 and to provide an extra sporting opportunity for the wider school community.

Cardinal Vaughan’s team was comprised of teachers, parents and pupils. It was the first Half Marathon for the majority of the team and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The team trained together weekly and in fact, their running club has increased in attendance since the Half Marathon, with training runs on Wednesday and Friday lunchtimes.

The Schools Challenge encourages schools in the local area to enter their own teams into the Ealing Half Marathon in order to raise money for their individual school. The school was presented with a cheque for £250 to recognise their efforts and achievement.

As well as raising vital funds for school projects, taking part in a big sporting event such as the Ealing Half Marathon is a fantastic way to boost fitness and inspire younger generations to keep active.

The Ealing Half Marathon team, and its community arm Ealing Half Marathon Legacy, carries out a lot of work within schools too – encouraging pupils to stay active and to participate in sport, linking into Ealing Council’s Get Moving campaign.

Thousands of pupils have listened to talks by the team at schools around the borough – and many have been inspired to get involved in running, through taking part in junior ‘parkrun’ events, joining the junior section of Ealing Eagles running club, or running in the annual Mini Mile at the half marathon. Participation in the Mini Mile has more than tripled since the talks started being held.

A few primary schools have even set up running clubs themselves with the help of the half marathon team.

Race Director Sandra Courtney commented, “We would like to congratulate Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School for winning the 2019 Ealing Half Marathon Schools Challenge. They put in an incredible effort to train and fundraise for the event and have been rewarded with a fantastic cheque which they can put towards a variety of projects and activities at the school”.

Mr Brett, Head of First Form, Geography, Physical Education at CVMS added:

“The success of Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School has always been as a result of the close link between parents, pupils and staff and this was, once again, evident through the wonderful success of the Ealing Half Marathon. I hope this effort from the participants has inspired the whole Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School community to continue to access a healthy and active lifestyle. Once again, we are very grateful to those who have donated and therefore supported the participants of this event”.

The 2020 Ealing Half Marathon takes place on Sunday 27th September and entries are available, costing £38 to £50. The sooner you sign up, the more you save.

Go to www.ealinghalfmarathon.com for further race info. You can also like the Facebook page www.facebook.com/ealinghalf and follow @EalingHalf #EalingFeeling on Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest news about the Ealing Half Marathon

March 10, 2020