Playground fundraiser
THIS weekend, the head of Sark School and one of the parents plan to run four miles every four hours for 48 hours.
Dr Nicholas Roberts and Sark School parent Adam Turner will set off at 8pm on Friday for their 4x4x48 challenge to raise money for a new playground at the school.
‘It’s a total of 48 miles each in two days so will be quite a challenge for us two unfit, middle-aged blokes,’ Dr Roberts said, although the pair are only in their mid-30s.
Dr Roberts used to run ultra-marathons when he lived in the UK and Mr Turner is a regular feature in the Sark 10-mile race and Sark triathlon.
Since joining Sark School in 2019, Dr Roberts has wanted to do more to improve community engagement, so decided to raise money for new outdoor play equipment via the Friends of Sark School group.
Initially they looked to raise £500, but the support from islanders, people in Guernsey and in the UK has seen that target upped to £1,000.
‘The support we’ve been shown has been absolutely incredible,’ Dr Roberts said.
‘People are queueing up to help out with our hydration and nutrition over the two days.’
Aiming to run between 10 and 12-minute miles, they think it will work out as one hour of activity followed by three hours of rest.
‘We’re going to be based at the school and will try and sleep as much as possible between runs at night time and stay awake during daylight hours to keep a relatively normal body clock. Mind you, my wife gave birth a couple of weeks ago so I’m used to not sleeping at the moment.’
The pair wanted to thank everyone who had given their time or money to supporting the challenge, which it is hoped will benefit the whole of the younger community in Sark.
n To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/nicholas-roberts-1.
