PUPILS and teachers at Barnard Castle School have completed a 12-hour sportathlon in aid of an educational and eco-charity.
More than 100 people took part in the event, which has so far raised more than £2,000 for Kipsaina Education and Environment Partnership (KEEP) – with further donations expected.
The overnight sportathlon included football, basketball, hockey, netball, dodgeball and dancing, with additional pupils, parents and teachers dropping in over the course of the 12 hours to show their support.
The money raised will help support a group of Barney pupils and teachers who are travelling to Kipsaina, Western Kenya, in July to carry out the renovation and construction of two schools.
Rachael Masterman, director of sport at Barnard Castle School, said: “There were a lot of tired people at the end of it, but it was all for an excellent cause. I am grateful to everyone who helped support the initiative with special thanks to Morrisons in Barnard Castle, which baked 100 doughnuts for us on the spot and Dominos in Darlington for equally keeping us fuelled throughout, with the delivery of 30 discounted pizzas.”
Former Barney students Sam Forsyth, from Cotherstone, and Rubel Quader, as well as Mary Matthews, established the KEEP charity in 2017.
The charity helps raise vital funds for schools in a small Kenyan village, as well as providing the community with a clean water borehole. It also has wider projects in Kenya, including eventually transforming Kipsaina Primary School into an eco-school and a centre for sustainable agricultural education.
KEEP has already built two new classrooms and renovated a third, but the remaining school buildings are in urgent need of re-building and, unless the appeal is successful, face closure.
