Teachers tackle Swindon Half Marathon for domestic abuse charity

Six members of staff from Gorse Hill Primary School have completed the Swindon Half Marathon after months of training.

The teachers, three of whom had never run before, raised more than £1000 for local domestic abuse charity Society Without Abuse (SWA).

Louise Evans, Millie Hutchinson, Brandon Ricketts, Teri Pettett and Andy Williams, together with Principal Candida Hutchinson, finished in times between two and three hours and were cheered on by colleagues and pupils along the 13.1 mile course.

Louise said: “As a team, we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved together. Three of us had never run before and the other two had never run this far, so training together and then completing the Swindon Half has been a real achievement. 

"It has also been an opportunity for us to show our support for SWA, a vital local charity, to continue conversations around healthy relationships and be role models for our pupils. 

"We wanted to show them that they can achieve whatever they put their minds to, while helping them develop into compassionate and responsible people.

“We also thought it was a great way to demonstrate our school values of courage, appreciation, respect and excellence, while showing the importance of being part of our local community and helping others, particularly a charity like SWA, which does so much to support our community.”

Gorse Hill Primary School is a SWA HOPE School, having completed SWA’s HOPE Award that equips teachers and school staff with the knowledge they need to identify and support children in their school who may be at risk of domestic abuse.  

The award also provides pupils with lessons on healthy relationships and creates a point for support for those who may be experiencing domestic abuse in the school’s community. 

Emma Maclennan, Children and Families Manager at SWA, said: “We are so proud of Gorse Hill Primary School for taking on such a massive challenge and their efforts will make an amazing difference in helping us continue our work supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse.”

To find out more about SWA and the HOPE Award, people can visit www.societywithoutabuse.org.uk