Generations to join school's 50th charity walk

Nine students dressed in fancy dress, posing in two rows in a school playground. Those standing at the back have yellow tops, hats and blue dungarees. Those in the front are kneeling. One wears an orange outfit and glasses, another wears black clothes, a bald cap and a long nose. A third wears a king's robes and crown. A fourth wears a white gown and glasses. The Market Weighton School

Year 11 students will complete the route in fancy dress

Naj Modak
East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

A teacher who started an annual school walk in the 1970s says he did not expect it to still be going half a century on.

More than 600 students from Market Weighton School will take part in the 50th walk later, before generations of former pupils, families and staff join in an anniversary celebration on Saturday.

Dick Wilson, the 77-year-old former head of PE who organised the first walk, said: "It's just so good that they are carrying on the tradition."

Headteacher, Richard Harrison, 56, said the 13-mile (21km) walk was "part of the fabric" of the school and helped the students develop resilience.

A grandfather standing arm in arm with with two boys. One boy has a mop of brown hair and wears a grey hoody and black rucksack. The grandfather has white hair and wears a black zip top. The second boy has short ginger hair and wears a black tracksuit top and black rucksack. They are standing in front of green foliage.The Market Weighton School

Dick Wilson will take part in the latest walk with his grandsons

Mr Wilson organised the original walk as a fundraising event. It has since become family affair, with his wife Gail providing refreshments and his children and grandchildren taking part.

Teaching assistant Linda Bell, who will also celebrate her 62nd birthday later, also took part in the first walk in 1976.

"I just remember it being quite a nice walk with your friends," she said. "We weren't stuck at home on computers all day, so we were used to being out and about."

Three girls and two women walking down a country lane, with green trees and bushes to either side. In the front row, a girl has long brown hair, a blue jacket and black leggings. She is holding hands with a second girl who has blonde hair, a pink jacket and black leggings. Her other hand is held by a woman who has blonde hair, glasses, pink jacket, striped top, lanyard and dark trousers. In the back row a woman with long blonde hair and a dark top walks with a girl who has long blonde hair, a grey hoody and dark trousers.The Market Weighton School

Teaching assistant Linda Bell (front-right) with some of the students

Ms Bell has taken part in 19 walks and helps students with physical disabilities to join in.

She said it was important that all students could take part – with a shorter route available to make that possible.

Mr Harrison said it was "wonderful" to be joined on the walk by Mr Wilson and Ms Bell.

Saturday's celebratory walk will set off from the school at 09:00 BST.

Money raised by students will be donated to the school's charities, including Unicef, Cancer Research, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Martin House Children's Hospice.

It follows an event earlier this month when student Zak, 14, was joined by members of staff for a half-marathon to raise £3,600 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices

Related topics

More on this story

Related internet links