Pupils running (cycling and rowing) for the loos!
At the beginning of lockdown three, Gownboys decided that a good way to stay physically and mentally fit and healthy throughout this period would be to exercise and raise money for a worthy cause. The pupils all voted on which charity they would like to represent and it was decided that Toilet Twinning was the one.
A group of sixth formers came up with the challenge to travel 1,000km under their own steam in three weeks, finishing at the end of the February half term break. Pupils and their families approached the event with open-minds and obliterated the first milestone of reaching Paris over the course of the first weekend.
During the challenge, prizes were offered for the fastest 5km effort (Rupert in 17:20), the furthest travelled by an individual (Harry 275km pictured above), the number of activities completed (Max 19) and also for the parent who covered the furthest distance (Christian 168.71km). This helped encourage the pupils to persevere with the challenge just as the cold snap hit.
With a week left to go, Gownboys had slipped off the pace a little, not surprising given the cold and the number of weeks in lockdown. However, they took their responsibility to the cause seriously, rallied, and found the resolve to push for the finish line. Soon there were entries coming in from locations all over the world: France, Denmark and Hong Kong to name a few. Two memorable contributions were the 5km walk through snow in the French Alps (Oscar), and a 10km on a rowing machine (Charlie).
By the end of the challenge the pupils in Gownboys had learnt that you truly get out of something what you put in. In total, the Gownboys community covered a distance of 1,452Km on foot, bike and rowing machine – the equivalent of Charterhouse to Rome. This impressive effort was rewarded by generous donations from the wider Gownboys community and £2,285 was raised for Toilet Twinning. This will be enough to provide running water and basic toilet facilities to 38 communities around the world.
Head of House, Charlie, said, “It was a superb effort from the House; this has been a challenging time for everyone, so it has been great to do something positive whilst also staying active too.”
A huge thank you to all of the pupils, parents and staff that took part in, and donated to, the cause, and particularly to Mr Ellis-Woodley for all his hard work behind the scenes.
