Market Deeping teachers get on their bikes for some Olympic-themed fundraising

Teachers and staff at Market Deeping Community Primary School (MDCPS) gave pupils an early taste of Olympic fever last week - by cycling to Paris.

But fear not parents; the dedicated educators didn’t leave the premises, or their pupils, to achieve this impressive feat.

Instead, the willing volunteers took to exercise bikes, which were strategically placed in the school yard so that the pupils could enjoy watching their fave teachers work up a sweat.

The ‘Pedal for P.E.’ event on June 5 saw staff take half-hour turns riding the exercise bikes to see how far they could get throughout the day.

The puffing pedallers, who had been sponsored by pupils and parents, managed to cycle a total of 471 kilometres - the equivalent distance of travelling from London to Paris.

MDCPS headteacher Mark Ratchford was thrilled by the efforts of his team:

“Everyone had a great time and really enjoyed the day,” he said.

“It was a real achievement to cycle as far as London to Paris ready for the Olympics.”

Mr Ratchford said the aim of the event was to raise £5,000 to put toward the cost of buying new benches, mats, gymnastics, and balance equipment for the school’s P.E. department.

“It was a great way to raise money for much needed funds to support our sports offering in school,” he explained.

The genial headteacher was taken aback by the exertions of some of his staff:

“We have some very competitive staff who all tried to out-cycle each other,” he observed.

The award for most tarmac covered (and arguably, most competitive teacher) eventually went to Key Stage 2 teacher, Graeme Abrahams, who pedalled a mighty impressive 16.18 kilometres in just 30 minutes.

The competitive contributor was humble about his top billing saying it was “everyone's support and enthusiasm… which kept the legs spinning when you wanted to stop.”

He added:

“It was incredible to see our school community come together for a great cause.”

The school’s current fundraising total stands at £1,306.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to ‘Pedal for P.E.’ can do so via this link: https://gofund.me/bbd65448.