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1.
May
2014.
LORD WANDSWORTH PUPILS ARE TESTED ON THE WATER AND RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY
Ten pupils from Lord
Wandsworth College were among 650 canoeists who took part in the gruelling 125
mile Devizes to Westminster race over Easter weekend.
The race began on the 200 year old Kennet and Avon canal in the sleepy Wiltshire town of Devizes on Good Friday. It continued onto the River Thames with three overnight stops at Newbury, Marlow and Ham. Lord Wandsworth pupils battled day by day, through 77 portages and 25 hours of paddling (which equates to approximately 9000 strokes per paddler), camping overnight near the water to be ready to launch again the following day. Only one team didn’t finish the race, succumbing to illness on day two.
Lord Wandsworth College believes in character education, it is part of the school’s mandate to help develop the inner strengths of each pupil to give them the best chance of realising their full potential. The training and the race itself is a real test of pupils’ mental and physical stamina and has helped them all dig deep and discover their own character attributes of perseverance, self-reliance and courage.
The pupils, all 16 or 17 years of age, used the opportunity to raise money for charities such as the Royal British Legion, Diabetes UK, Aplastic Anaemia Trust, Breast Cancer Care and Friends of the Earth and the total amount raised so far is in excess of £2,000.
Fergus Livingstone, headmaster of Lord Wandsworth College, said “We are incredibly proud of those boys and girls who took part. It was an unbelievably demanding challenge and I was privileged to be at the finish line in Westminster, cheering them on as they achieved their goal. To also raise a significant amount of money for well-deserving charities makes this a truly wonderful venture.”
The race began on the 200 year old Kennet and Avon canal in the sleepy Wiltshire town of Devizes on Good Friday. It continued onto the River Thames with three overnight stops at Newbury, Marlow and Ham. Lord Wandsworth pupils battled day by day, through 77 portages and 25 hours of paddling (which equates to approximately 9000 strokes per paddler), camping overnight near the water to be ready to launch again the following day. Only one team didn’t finish the race, succumbing to illness on day two.
Lord Wandsworth College believes in character education, it is part of the school’s mandate to help develop the inner strengths of each pupil to give them the best chance of realising their full potential. The training and the race itself is a real test of pupils’ mental and physical stamina and has helped them all dig deep and discover their own character attributes of perseverance, self-reliance and courage.
The pupils, all 16 or 17 years of age, used the opportunity to raise money for charities such as the Royal British Legion, Diabetes UK, Aplastic Anaemia Trust, Breast Cancer Care and Friends of the Earth and the total amount raised so far is in excess of £2,000.
Fergus Livingstone, headmaster of Lord Wandsworth College, said “We are incredibly proud of those boys and girls who took part. It was an unbelievably demanding challenge and I was privileged to be at the finish line in Westminster, cheering them on as they achieved their goal. To also raise a significant amount of money for well-deserving charities makes this a truly wonderful venture.”