School Matters 36

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Richmond Park was set fair with some fantastic weather and proved the perfect backdrop for the superb performances of our pupils. While Brearley House topped the overall House table for the event, with Findlay coming in second and Paget third, the individual winners are set out in the table below. HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY The crowds went wild as the runners came down the home straight, showing their appreciation for the effort put in by all.

Year Group Boys

Girls

S7 S8 S9

Oliver May (Paget)

Isabella Harrison (Paget) Emily Oldfield (Montefiore)

Oskar Brimacombe (Montefiore)

A very big thank you to the pupils, teaching staff and maintenance team alike for all their efforts to have made the afternoon such a success. Mr Jacques van Vuuren, Director of Sport

Sebastian Bandeira Freire (Brearley) Skye Bishop (Montefiore)

S10

Harry Atkin (Brearley) Sam Holloway (Paget)

Polly Wright (Brearley) Millie Doyle (Brearley)

PVI–UVI

PAULA CRAIG MBE INSPIRES ASPIRE FUNDRAISING SWIM In a magnificent fundraising event held for the Aspire Charity, 41 swimmers took to the swimming pool to meet the challenge of swimming the equivalent of three times the width of the English Channel in three hours: a distance of 99km!

Paula Craig MBE

injuries live independent lives. Indeed, it was Aspire that helped during her own early recovery. Pre-injury, Paula was a sub-three- hour marathon runner, an aspiring World Triathlete and Olympian. She also worked full time in the Flying Squad for the Police Force. After her accident, in which she was paralysed from the waist down, Aspire helped her move forwards by giving her access to wheelchair-appropriate housing, a comfortable wheelchair and use of an accessible pool, giving her back some of what she knew before her injury. She spoke passionately about how their work was the reason she is where she is now. She has since pushed the London Marathon, gained multiple gold medals at World Paratriathlon, and was the first person with a spinal cord injury to return to full-time work in the Police Force. At the time of her talk, she was also aiming another first: the first person with a spinal cord injury to complete a Relay Channel Swim from Dover to Calais without a wetsuit. We are so proud of the pupils for accepting this challenge and rising to it so brilliantly, and equally grateful to the IPS community for supporting them. A magnificent total of £5,529 was raised for Aspire by the pupils’ efforts. Congratulations to all! Miss Josie Middleton-Smith, Teacher of PE

They swam in group relay format, with Group 1 swimming for 25 minutes, Group 2 for 20 minutes, and Group 3 for 15 minutes. This was repeated three times. The commitment to the event and the theme was remarkable, and all the young swimmers truly pushed themselves in their three sessions. Wonderful volunteers were on hand all evening to count their lengths and Miss Buckett was able to update the board with the ever-changing total distance covered. During their breaks, the pupils enjoyed the music, snacks, and cheered their peers on as they drove ever harder through the water. After two hours, it was clear we were very much on track. The final hour saw the swimmers press on to try and beat the challenge. The persistence demonstrated was terrific. As the final whistle went, cheers erupted in the pool; IPS swimmers had covered the length of the Channel not three but almost four times in three hours! Medals were handed out, and prizes given for top fundraisers and swimmers. It was an inspirational talk given by Paula Craig MBE a week prior to the swim that had given pupils the clearest picture of the importance of their efforts. Paula is an ambassador for Aspire, a charity which helps people who have sustained spinal cord