A sponsored walk for Ukraine by St John’s primary pupils ended up totalling the distance from Tunbridge Wells to Lviv in western Ukraine, thanks to the perseverance of staff and over 600 children walking – and even running.
The event was the initiative of British-Slovakian pupil Leon, age nine, whose concern about the news from Ukraine, bordering Slovakia, prompted him to suggest the event to Headteacher Dan Turvey.
Leon’s mother, Katarina, set up a JustGiving page linking the walk to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Humanitarian Appeal and the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal. St John’s Church of England Primary School then mobilised the pupils ready for action on Wednesday, March 23.
Earlier in the month, the school had sent four 4×4 vehicles’ worth of donations to Ukraine, organised by a Year 6 family.
“Our aim was to walk as far as we could from the school to Ukraine,” said Mr Turvey.
“Starting at 9am, and with the last walker coming in just before the end of the school day at 3.15pm, we walked 3,434 laps of the school – equivalent to 1,802km, just tipping into the town of Lviv near the Ukraine border.
“The five year olds were walking as many laps of the school as they could, but in years five and six everyone was keen to get as many laps as they could, and some even ran it,” he told the Times.
“We were aiming for £5,000, and we have now raised over £11,000.
“It is such a wonderful testament to our community to be happy to raise such a huge amount amidst escalating energy prices and inflation.”
