Lauren Rogers, deputy headteacher at Archbishop Cranmer Church of England Academy in Aslockton, teams up with pupils to run length of three marathons to help community hub dream

A teacher and her pupils are running ‘three marathons’ to raise £20,000 — as part of a quest to create a community wellbeing hub.

Lauren Rogers, the deputy headteacher at Archbishop Cranmer Church of England Academy in Aslockton, has embarked on a nine-week challenge together with her pupils.

The team is aiming to run three kilometres every day for nine weeks — which is equivalent to 10 and a half laps around the school’s premises — to complete the three marathons challenge.

To promote fitness, the school usually challenges its students to complete the length of a marathon or two around the school. However, Mrs Rogers decided to go above and beyond and run three marathons before she leaves the school in July.

She has created a GoFundMe page, which has raised £500 out of a £20,000 target to take the pupils’ dream of a wellbeing hub to the next level.

The school's young leaders, who hold the title of ‘ministers for wellbeing’, have started a movement of compassion and care at the school.

They have raised £6,000 through activities, including sponsored reads, jogs, skips and cake sales.

The wellbeing hub project aims to create a sanctuary where the children can thrive, grow and find support.

The idea behind it is to create spacious, purpose-built garden rooms where they can find solace, engage in nurturing activities and receive support through relaxation and therapy sessions.

It is hoped that this can be a facility used by the community as well as the pupils. Parents will also be able to use the space for get-togethers and support networks.

“There are so many mental health challenges and this wellbeing hub is a way of us supporting the children but the idea came from them. We are just supporting and doing everything we can to bring it to life,” said Mrs Rogers.

She added: “It will be a place for the children to read, reflect and seek support when needed.”

The school currently has a sunshine room — but the space has become too small to accommodate the needs of the children.