A Harrogate primary school cycled 1,000 miles in 24 hours to raise £6,560 — triple its fundraising target.

Teachers, pupils and parents from Hampsthwaite Church of England Primary School set off on a virtual race from John o’ Groats to Land’s End with the target of raising £2,000 to fund playground improvements.

Riders took 15-minute turns on one of four stationary bikes in the school hall, with quick changeovers to ensure the pedals never stopped moving.

Video messages of support were received from professional cyclist Lizzie Deignan and Olympic gold medallist, Jonny Brownlee.

The first day finished with a disco ride in the dark, complete with lights and motivational music until 9.00pm and riders were back on the saddles again by 6.00am to continue the virtual journey.

An online fundraising page and cash sponsorships have so far generated £6,560.

Ms Ross with the head girl and head boy

Headteacher Amy Ross said:

“I am so proud of Team Hampsthwaite and what we have collectively achieved in these past two days.

“Every child has been involved and had the chance to take a turn on the bike and the support from parents and family has been incredible.

“I am overwhelmed by the amount of money that we have raised; it will make a tremendous difference towards improving the playground, which all pupils will get to enjoy.”

Read more:

• Hampsthwaite pupils prepare for epic 1,000-mile bike ride!
• The Harrogate school providing children with additional support

A village school near Harrogate has completed a £270,000 upgrade.

Hampsthwaite Church of England Primary School was built by public subscription in 1861 and now has 142 pupils and a nursery. It is part of the multi-academy Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust, which includes St Aidan’s Church of England High School and a number of other Church of England and community schools in the district.

Since Amy Ross became headteacher in September 2019 the elegant stone building, which originally comprised a schoolroom with classroom, and master’s house, has been further extended and modernised.

It now has an early years foundation stage outdoor area, a perimeter fence, a main school entrance and school office, a link lobby which prevents classrooms being a thoroughfare that disrupted learning and a staff room.

The new staffroom and link lobby.

The £270,000 refurbishment was paid for by a combination of section 106 infrastructure funding from housing developers along with school and trust funds

Ms Ross said:

“We are delighted to have completed this next stage of our journey at Hampsthwaite which has further enhanced our facilities for the benefit of children, families and our passionate, dedicated and exceptionally talented staff team.”

“With fantastic support from Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust we have been able to achieve such a huge amount in a short space of time, and all of this despite covid.

“Completing the build also highlighted what a wonderful school community we have. Parents donated furniture, including a sofa and coffee tables for the staffroom and Graham Sanderson Interiors (Harrogate) made us some beautiful new blinds for the main office and for the staff room, which will be treasured for decades to come. I feel privileged and proud to be a part of this community.”

Jo Stott, the school business manager, said:

“Following the addition of a further classroom in recent years, the school had been lacking in facilities to support this extra provision, in particular to ensure a suitable entrance into school and also in providing staff room facilities.

“The improvements made to school make a huge difference in the day-to-day operations and will without doubt help Hampsthwaite School continue to thrive.”