Quintet Of Runners Make Capital Gains For Charity
8th April 2025
Five runners from Highfield and Brookham School made some serious capital gains on Sunday for a charity close to their hearts.
Owner Bill Mills, Head Suzannah Cryer, Head of Pre-Prep Georgie Hunter and mums Sarah Bagshaw and Claire Kenwright raised more than £7,700 after completing the London Landmarks Half-Marathon.
All money raised will go the Highfield Centenary Bursaries Fund, which helps support children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend a private school such as Highfield and Brookham.
The hardy quintet all completed the monumental course around the streets of the nation’s capital in under two-and-a-half hours, with Claire posting a particularly impressive sub-two-hour time on a warm day.
And not even a last-ditch course change caused by a police emergency along the route at Chancery Lane Tube station just 15 minutes before the scheduled start could knock the fleet-footed five off their stride.
The 13.1-mile charity run – the only half-marathon to incorporate the City of London and the City of Westminster – took the runners past some of the city’s most famous monuments, such as Big Ben, Tower Bridge, The Shard and the London Eye.
It also took in many of London’s hidden heritage and cultural gems such as Guy Fawkes’ house where the Gunpowder Plot conspirators met, the memorial to flamboyant poet Oscar Wilde, Pudding Lane, where the Great Fire of London started in 1666, and Billingsgate Roman bathhouse.
Speaking on behalf of the five runners, Mrs Cryer said: “We were all naturally a little apprehensive before the start of the run but were spurred on by the fact that we were there to raise money for such an amazing cause as the Centenary Bursaries Fund, which can help make a tremendous difference to the lives of young people.
“With that in mind, we really can’t thank our kind and generous supporters enough for helping us raise close to £7,800 for the fund. Thank you all so much. It’s an amazing amount of money and we are truly humbled by such generosity.”
Highfield Centenary Bursaries Fund was set up 17 years ago and typical candidates are children who are experiencing social or educational difficulties or children who have the ability to succeed academically if given the right support.
The fundraising pages of the five Highfield and Brookham runners are still live. To donate, visit:
www.justgiving.com/page/octavia-bagshaw-1
https://www.justgiving.com/page/georgie-hunter-1
https://www.justgiving.com/page/suzannah-cryer-1736938475380
