TWO RUN THE WILSON IN ONESIES FOR KENYAN ORPHANS

Pupils and staff came out to support two Lupton Lower Sixth girls, Charlie Neate and Emilia Tyser, as they completed the Wilson Run qualifier course last weekend. Dressed in Zebra and Crocodile ‘onesies’, the girls tackled the Qualifier course, this time raising money for Restart Africa.

Charlie, 16, won the ladies’ ten-mile Wilson Run in March but decided once wasn’t enough. She and Emilia, 16, form part of a group of eight pupils going to Kenya in July, to work with young children in an orphanage.

The group, led by Mr Oliver, Mr Swainson and Miss Millard, will stay at Pembroke House School, Gilgil, Kenya, and will work in the Restart orphanage nearby every day for a week. The pupils will also visit Tsavo National Park during their week’s stay.

Director of Sport and Sedgwick Housemaster Stuart Oliver said: “Sedbergh has helped finance the new Restart centre by supplying all the bathrooms for both the boarding houses as well as giving kit and equipment over the last couple of years.

The centre now takes babies and children up to age 18, since we funded a nursery on site. It’s such an amazing place and they are now accommodate and look after 110 children. The centre has around eight staff, all local but supported by Gap students from around the world.

Our pupils are very privileged, just to be living in the UK and this experience will take them out of their comfort zones as they will experience extreme poverty and the effects of neglect. They will work voluntarily to get these children’s lives back on track.”

Emilia, from Berwick-upon-Tweed, is Captain of the 1st XI hockey team. She admits to being no natural runner. “It was so hard, so wet, and going through the water, we really picked up so much weight because of the onesies.

Charlie is so fit, she was running around, looping back and forth, and she even gave me piggyback for the last 30 metres! We had incredible support from our parents and teachers, and running it for a cause, knowing that the money raised would go straight to the orphans we will be working with in Kenya, kept me going. I’m really excited to be going out there and can’t wait to see the children.”

Charlie, 16, from Allithwaite, near Cartmel, is Captain of Running. She said: “We finished the qualifier route in our onesies in about 2:45. Considering the outfits and the muddy conditions, I’m both really happy and proud of this time!

Wading through streams and climbing up a muddy hill was no easy task! We both stood on the top of Bough Fell and wondered what we had got ourselves into – but the we are both hugely competitive and were not going to let it defeat us!

We both found the prospect of our efforts going to help these orphans in Africa hugely motivational.  People have been very generous and we are looking forward to seeing the changes that the money will make.”

The girls have exceeded their target of raising £500 and are now aiming to add to their current total of just over £1,500.  To support their fundraising for Restart Africa, please donate at

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=restartafricawilsonrun&isTeam=true

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