A TEACHING assistant’s sponsored summer trek which raised almost £1,800 that will fund the revamp of an outdoor learning area.
While pupils from St Mary’s RC School, Barnard Castle, were on summer break, teaching assistant Tracey Tallentire, affectionately called Mrs T by the children, took part in a four-day walking challenge in the Yorkshire Dales in a bid to raise funds for the school.
Setting out from Keld, in North Yorkshire, Mrs T trekked up hill and down dale and completed the 50-mile Herriot Way raising £1,794 with donations from an online JustGiving site and a table top sale.
The money will be used to revamp the early years outdoor area and nurture pond, which was originally paid for by another fundraising challenge undertaken by Mrs T and teacher Alex Dougall.
She said: “I did the walk because I had done the marathon about five years ago and I thought the walk would be easier.
“However, it was just as hard as it was hilly and you forget just how hilly, but it was beautiful and we were lucky with the weather.”
On the first day of the trek staff from the school went along to support her as did some friends and family.
For the remainder of the trip, she was kept motivated by friends Cloedie Yeadon and Glenda Calvert, who not only joined Mrs T on the walk, but organised accommodation as well.
Mrs T added: “The kids’ families have been amazingly supportive, as they always are and it means we can give the early years outdoor area a bit of a revitalisation.
“One of the things we are going to buy is a shepherd’s hut as it will be a reminder to me of some of the walk over the Yorkshire Dales.”
With blisters a distant memory, Mrs T is already thinking of different ideas for her next fundraising challenge but is unsure what athletic discipline she will tackle.
She said: “I’ve done running and walking now, but I don’t really like swimming. Maybe I’ll do something like a parachute jump or bungee jump.”
