Students gear up for 25th annual Coast 2 Coast Challenge

26 May 2023

Published in: Member News

---

Wolverhampton Grammar School's 2023 Coast 2 Coast team are gearing up for the 25th annual challenge.

---

Over the last 25 years more than £100,000 has been raised for charitable causes by Wolverhampton Grammar School’s annual Coast 2 Coast Challenge. The annual sponsored challenge involves a group of Year 10 students (aged 15 years), running the 170-mile journey as a tag team from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire. The students face some of the steepest inclines in the country including the infamous Hardknott Pass, whilst raising money for good causes. Even during lockdown the 2020 team took up the challenge in their ‘bubble’, closer to home, with a 200-mile circuit around Cannock Chase.

This year’s team have chosen to raise money for Place2Be: the UK’s leading school-based mental health charity, providing support to children, families, and school-based staff when they need it most. Charlotte, Zena, Ashwin, Charlie, India, Reuben, Chris, Dylan, Tia and Matthew have all undertaken an intense 16-week training programme which involved getting to school early for morning runs and staying late after school to continue their training. They will be guided along the route by an experienced staff team and cheered on by family and friends. The local support is always wonderful and everyone is invited to follow the team’s progress on the School’s social media channels.

WGS Head, Alex Frazer says, “The Coast 2 Coast challenge was the wonderful idea of a former staff member, Michelle Craig, who joined us from a school in New Zealand; she set up the first sponsored relay in 1999. By the time this year’s team crosses the finish line, that will be an impressive 248 pairs of legs, a total of 4280 miles and well over £100k raised for 25 different charities! Each year we are fortunate to be supported by a group of sponsors and our thanks go to RMW Electrical Services Ltd, The Shingler Group, The Blakemore Foundation, Holroyd Howe, Premier Sports and of course St Bees School who provide accommodation for us the night before the challenge.”

As the final countdown starts for this year’s Coast 2 Coast team, Matthew Charlton, Community Fundraising Manager at Place2Be wishes them all the best,

“We are thrilled with the incredible £3,682.08 raised so far by Wolverhampton Grammar students. Put in context, this amazing amount could pay for over 230 children to speak to a qualified counsellor about their worries in a lunchtime session. Without a doubt, it will make a tangible difference to the lives of children across the UK and the Coast 2 Coast team should feel very proud.”

The team have incredibly already surpassed their £3000 target but hope to raise even more money throughout the weekend to make an even bigger impact! Those who would like to support the challenge can visit the school’s JustGiving page at justgiving.com/page/wgs-coast2coast2023