Sheffield teacher to take on fundraising challenge to aid financially struggling families

Mark Bebbington, 48, a Year 6 teacher at Watercliffe Meadow Primary, Shirecliffe, will spend the day walking around the school’s running track on Thursday, April 23, and has already raised over £2,500 despite only setting up a fundraiser a little under a week ago.

Currently, Watercliffe receives products from charitable food redistributors, Fare Share, each week and staff have managed to source other items to boost their weekly food hampers which are delivered to vulnerable families.

However, the fundraising idea came about after the school staff noticed a growing number of families who are equally as in need, and are struggling financially, but are not entitled to free school meals.

Mark said: “Not just our school but, in the Easter holidays, we delivered 229 food parcels to free school meal families and what happened, which is quite upsetting actually, we were contacted by a lovely family who’s mum works in domestic services at the Northern General and the dad is self-employed.

“They're not getting any other income than her part-time wage and they asked if we could help. It made us realise, it’s not just those who receive free school meals, there are so many so we’re targeting those families who can’t work or self-employed and just not getting any income.

“It’ll not just be food parcels, there’ll be toiletries and other essential bits.”

Mark will begin his challenge at 7:30am and will continue doing laps until 5pm – hopefully completing around 26 miles, the length of a marathon.

He is a huge Sheffield Wednesday fan but said that if he raised over £2,000 he would take on the challenge in a Sheffield United shirt, a goal which he has already surpassed.

The money raised will help Watercliffe to top up the parcels and increase the number of families they reach each week.

Mark added: “Some the families are really in dire straits and it’s really sad because they aren’t getting money through yet.

“All I’m doing is a walk but the deputy headteacher and the learning mentor team are doing so much work just to get food as and when they could, they’ve worked so hard at it.

“I thought a bit of a walk and a few blisters is nothing. Our school is ‘Watercliffe Meadow Community Primary School’, and Watercliffe is, like many schools, the heart of the community, it’s what we do. We look after our families and we’re looking after our kids because that’s what we’re penned to do.

To donate visit the Food for Watercliffe fundraising page.

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