Boys and staff alike have been clocking up the miles around our school estate and the streets of Bedford, as part of a new initiative called Around the World in 80 Days. The idea, which was thought up by the boys, is intended to promote good physical and mental well-being by doing a bit more exercise, while at the same time raising money for mental health charities.
The 80 days started on 12 September and will finish on 30 November, dove-tailing nicely with the end of our annual Movember campaign – all with a mere 24,902 miles in between!
A shared spreadsheet has been put together for boys and staff to record their miles. The idea is that the boys will not include any usual activity (e.g. Games sessions) but will be encouraged to go for a bike ride or run after school or at lunchtime during these 80 days. A map in the Bell Room also shows a visual representation of the distance travelled.
Boys have also been collecting sponsorship for their efforts, which will go towards Movember and also a local mental health based charity, The Mind Map. We were thrilled when Movember UK got wind of the initiative and tweeted: @BedfordSchool proving they can do more at the age of 15 than we can at 30. They’re aiming to #Move 24,900 miles around the equator in 80 days for #Movember. Bunch of legends.
So far, we have clocked up 1,476 miles and have a regular running session on a Tuesday lunchtime when all boys and staff are encouraged to join up and run together – as you can see from the photo, one boy chose to run while carrying the ‘world’ with him!
If you would like to sponsor the boys, cash or cheques (made payable to Bedford School Trust) can be passed to Mrs Spyropoulos or left in the Bell Room in an envelope marked with the boy’s name and Around the World in 80 Days. You can also track the initiative by following #80days on Twitter.