A STUDENT at Springfield School, Beckington, was on BBC Radio 2 last week, speaking to breakfast host Chris Evans about his fundraising as part of his school’s ‘charity week’.
Reuben Tilley, aged 9, in year 5 at Springmead called the radio station to tell them that he would be running in a charity run, at his school, in a blue and white dress. He was joined by his class of 15 students to raise money for Mercy in Action.
Talking to the Frome Times Reuben said, “I just called the radio station and this person answered, but it wasn’t Chris Evans so I was a bit surprised, but you have to go through everything with them and be asked a lot of questions.
“Chris was pretty friendly, he was quite rushed with it, but me and my brother Isaac have raised £40 between us. I’ve called Chris once before when I small, but I was really scared so i didn’t actually do it, and then I tried this time – and did it – and I’m really proud. He asked what I scored myself out of 10 and I said 40 because that’s how much I raised!”
The run was part of Springfield School’s charity week, an annual event that raises money for the Christian charity, Mercy in Action, based in Bath. The charity works alongside some of the poorest communities in the Philippines, rescuing vulnerable children from the dangers of the streets.
Nick Munckton teacher of Reuben’s class said, “It was a nice, fun thing for them to do, challenging because they had to run in groups for an hour, with a combined running total of 54km.
“We spoke about how it is just an hour of our lives that was difficult, but the children in the Philippines have got lives that are very difficult, so we put ourselves out for an hour just to make life a bit easier for them.
“I was very surprised to hear Reuben on the radio! I’m really impressed with him, and they all looked amazing. Reuben and his twin brother Isaac always raise a great amount during every charity week.”
Principal of Springmead, Madeleine Taylor said, “Each class, here at Springfield, was involved in a different activity to raise money for the cause including a dragon dance and a sponsored car wash. There was such a good atmosphere during the week, all the children were very excited. We have 118 children across the years at this school and everyone got involved.”
Sally Cox, deputy principal said, “Getting children to think about other’s needs is fundamental to developing the whole child. Supporting charitable needs is a crucial element of what we do at Springmead, supporting national and local charities.”
