Marathons for Mental Health

Keen to appreciate time spent with friends in the great outdoors, Year 8 students Livi, Jemima, Cali, Maja, Jessy, Amy, Ellla and Niamh challenged themselves to a series of half marathon walks in aid of mental health.

Taking place over the span of a month, the grand finale, which took place during Mental Health Awareness week itself, saw the group walk from Maidenhead to Marlow and back.

On three separate occasions, the girls trekked from Henley to Reading and back, explored the Pangbourne and Goring countryside, and followed the Thames Path from Reading to Pangbourne and back. In total, 52 miles were covered and the team raised a phenomenal £452 for YoungMinds, over double what they had set out to achieve!

Livi reflected “The whole experience was amazing, especially doing it with all of my best friends. I would have to say that my favourite part of the day was going paddling and eating ice cream while splashing each other!”

She continued “I would say that the walk didn’t just benefit the charity, it definitely made a big impact on the way we were feeling by improving my mood and we just had a great time so that always benefits people. Overall, the experience was fabulous and I hope that our fundraising makes a difference.”

Jessy commented “I really enjoy being in nature because I just love the feeling of going out after being inside because of the pandemic, and being able to hang out with my friends and finally have lots of fun as a group. However, at the same time we were able to do something nice for charity, so it was a win-win!”

Jemima added “I really enjoyed the experience of walking a half marathon from Reading to Pangbourne and back as it was really lovely to be out the whole day and have nothing to worry about back at home. My favourite part of the day was sitting down and eating lunch by the river because it felt good to accomplish halfway through the walk and to relax a bit. Being in nature makes me feel calm.”