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Primary school pupils have raised £11,000 towards their new playground after running the Caerphilly 2k last month.
More than 120 young runners from Twyn Primary School, in Caerphilly town, took part in the race on Sunday May 12 as part of their fundraising efforts.
Kate Davey, head of the school’s parent-teacher association (PTA), explained: “The playground had been there for a long time and was rotting – the kids hadn’t played on it for about a year and a half.”
The new playground, which was unveiled earlier this month, cost £20,000.
To cover this cost, the school’s PTA set about organising a number of fundraising events, one of which was to encourage the pupils to run the 2k.
Ms Davey praised the “massive response” from pupils, staff, and parents alike – with parents setting up online fundraising pages bringing in hundreds of pounds each, with pupils collecting sponsorship money ahead of the race.
The total amount raised was revealed to pupils and parents at a celebration event held at Ten Degrees restaurant in Caerphilly town on Tuesday June 4.
“Nobody could believe how much was raised,” Ms Davey told Caerphilly Observer.
“The community was really generous and everyone was on board.
“It brought everyone together. We’re hoping to do the race again next year.”
Following the 2k, the school is now just £1,700 away from achieving its £20,000 target.
Speaking about the impact the 2k has had on the pupils, Ms Davey said: “It’s definitely triggered them to think more about sports and boosted their self-confidence.”
Ms Davey also heaped praise on Twyn headteacher Lee Thomas and deputy headteacher Liz Williams.
“Mrs Williams spearheaded the new playground, and Mr Thomas has been really encouraging the children to sign up for the race – he even ran it with them.”
Ms Davey also thanked Richard Rees, of Trecenydd-based Team Rees Gym, for sponsoring the school’s 2k efforts. Pupils donned t-shirts provided by Team Rees during the 2k.
Following the race, the school was awarded a £100 voucher from event organisers Caerphilly County Borough Council, for bringing more pupils than any other school to the 2k.
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