Luton teachers will take part in a virtual run to raise money to support vulnerable families

Teachers and school staff in Luton will be coming together, virtually, on Friday, April 24, to take part in a challenge to raise money for Level Trust.

The #LutonSchoolRun, organised by St Matthew’s Primary School, aims to raise £12,500 for the Luton based charity, Level Trust, which will be used to support vulnerable children, young people and families during this difficult time.

The event will take place from 7am until 7pm with participating schools being allocated a one-hour time slot and during this period teachers will need to complete a run or walk around their garden or living space for the full hour.

Participants will send evidence that they have completed the challenge to St Matthew’s sports development manager, Dan Chaplen, who will then collect all results and calculate the total distance travelled for each school and the town as a whole.

Every person taking part is asked to make a small contribution to the fundraising page by donating what they would have spent on their lunch or coffee if they had been at work that week.

Jon Parker, Deputy Headteacher, St Matthew’s Primary School, said: “This is a great opportunity to do some physical exercise and at the same time raise vital funds to help some of the most vulnerable families in Luton.

"A number of schools have already signed up to this challenge and we expect many more to join in. We are hoping that with the huge numbers of staff and schools involved we will create a big buzz around the event which will encourage people to donate to this good cause.

“If there are any businesses or organisations that are interested in supporting this event please get in touch.”

Jane Malcom, CEO, Level Trust, said: "Covid-19 has taken so much away from children who didn’t have a lot to start with - it’s time to work together to give something back.

"That is why I am so grateful to Dan Chaplen and his team at St Matthew’s who have poured their time into setting up the #LutonSchoolRun.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has made life much harder for children and young people in financial hardship. Home has now become school.

"If you live in cramped housing, with no garden, very few learning resources and struggle to afford essential food and clothing, learning is going to be nearly impossible.

"The money the #LutonSchoolRun raises will go towards our Emergency Home School Fund which will provide essential food, clothing and learning resources so that all children can continue to learn during the school closures.

"This is an opportunity for our town to come together to support children in our community living with very little. Please all donate if you can.”

Cllr Mahmood Hussain, portfolio holder with responsibility for children and young people said: “Well done to St Matthew’s Primary School for organising this event, bringing people together in a collective effort to help those most in need in our town.

"I would also like to thank local charity Level Trust who should be commended for their continued support and commitment to assist vulnerable families.”

If you work in a school and you would like to sign up to #LutonSchoolRun, email Dan Chaplen at [email protected].

To make a donation visit: www.justgiving.com/campaign/emergencyhomeschoolfund.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper when you do your weekly shop.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price.

So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.