Buxton school staff raise thousands for pupils' zoo trip with 12-hour walk

As previously reported, St Anne’s Academy assistant headteacher Frankie Dodd and office manager Faye Minshull aimed to spend an entire day walking laps of the playground on Friday, June 23, to inspire the donations needed to bus 220 children and staff to Chester Zoo for a free day out in December.

By the time they set off, they were joined by year five teacher and PE leader Callum D’Souza, then school classes took it in turns to join them throughout the day, ending with an evening ‘Meet the Teacher’ at the Lightwood Road site.

Frankie said: “The walk started on the playground at 7.30am and finished at 7.30pm. I did 45,000 steps which was about 23 miles. Callum ran some of it and did about 60,000 steps.

“We were all shattered at the end of it. It’s been fantastic to see the whole community coming together, I wasn’t sure that we would be able to reach this point. I thought we might raise so much and have to ask parents to pay for the rest but everyone rallied around.”

The walkers inspired a wider fundraising effort including a car wash run all weekend by a family who have children at the school, and supported by local firefighters. That alone raised a total of £575, helping to make a much bigger splash than the £2,500 needed.

Headteacher Julia Wiggins said: “The community has really stepped up to support our children and we would like to thank everyone who helped out and contributed, especially in the current economic climate. The Meet the Teacher event was fantastic, parents were saying it was the best one over and that they really enjoyed it.

“The sponsored walk at school involving three of our staff was great and we were trying to keep them going. The money has just been trickling in and we are thrilled that we have exceeded our target.”