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Head’s blog

Small steps make a big difference

This afternoon at Grimsdell, Year 1 and Year 2 took part in a Fun Run to raise money for the ABC Bursary Charity. Any event takes huge amounts of organisation and commitment from the staff and the pupils but it was all worth it to see our Year 1 and 2 children against the backdrop of Mill Hill School striding forwards onto the track to run their first cross country race. The senior school races also took place alongside them and it was lovely to see our younger pupils cheering them on and aspiring to be athletes themselves one day!

The excitement and enjoyment in the air was palpable and that fabulous combination of fresh air, team spirit and edge of competition was quite simply good for the soul. The children’s smiles on their faces, their impressive speed and massive determination was testament to the wellbeing induced by outdoor exercise.

The team spirit did not just extend to the children as we had members of staff running to support the children, our lunchtime supervisors acting as marshals and we worked in tandem with the Mill Hills School staff to make this a whole Foundation experience. I had the joy of commentating on the microphone and everybody was there to lend a hand, fetching water, cheering and keeping the children upbeat and positive (not that they needed our help!)

The ABC charity that we were raising money for made the event even more worthwhile, as this scheme provides funding for pupils to attend Mill Hill School whose circumstances mean that they would not otherwise be able to do so.

One such pupil, Leanne Armitage, is worth a special mention as she is the Founder of The Armitage Foundation, the Winner of the Queen’s Young Leaders Award and was also the guest speaker at our recent Foundation Day. She is also a medical student in her final year!

The Armitage Foundation aims to inspire, equip and increase the self-confidence of students who want to study medicine and come from under-represented backgrounds. Her aim is to ensure the medical profession reflects the diverse society that it serves.

Her story serves to show the lasting effect that generosity can have and how one opportunity or gesture can lead to another with more and more people benefiting. Our Fun Run leads to pupils like Leanne coming to our school.  Leanne in turn had the opportunity to study medicine and subsequently has provided others with the same opportunity, by developing young people’s confidence through her outreach programmes.

https://armitagefoundation.com/about-us/

I hope you enjoy the photographs that capture the excitement, joy and sense of occasion.