Rebecca Tear (left) and Rachel Macfarlane (right) are ready for the challenge!

Badminton School Head leads 367-mile charity cycle challenge

Money raised will go to The SpringBoard Bursary Foundation, which offers boarding school bursaries to disadvantaged pupils

Posted by Hannah Vickers | July 14, 2017 | School life

• #badminton-school
• #rebecca-tear
• #charity
• #fundraising
• #the-springboard-bursary-foundation
• #mount-kelly-school
• #framlingham-college
• #ian-davenport
• #school-trunk
• #squadkit
• #royal-national-childrens-foundation

An intrepid group of staff from Badminton School in Bristol, led by Headmistress Rebecca Tear, are embarking on a 367-mile cycle ride in August, to raise awareness and vital funds for the boarding school bursary charity, The SpringBoard Bursary Foundation (SpringBoard).

Rebecca and her team will cycle from Framlingham College in Suffolk (the most Easterly School supported by SpringBoard) to Mount Kelly School in Devon (the charity’s most Westerly School) 6th - 13th August. Along the way, the cyclists will stop overnight at schools supported by the charity: St Edmunds College in Ware, Wycombe Abbey School, Warminster School and Taunton School.  

Members of The Bike Ride team include Rachel Macfarlane (Operations Manager at Badminton School), Richard Tear (Badminton School volunteer) and Chelsea Hayes from School Trunk. Along the way, they will be accompanied by staff from the schools they visit during their 367-mile epic. The Bike Ride is sponsored by School Trunk, the school holiday storage company, and some kit to help identify the cyclists en route has been donated by Squadkit, the leading sportswear brand in Independent Schools. 

Rebecca Tear said: “The aim of the Bike Ride is to raise awareness of the vital work SpringBoard delivers in schools like Badminton School. I see the difference their work makes day to day for young people and I want to do all I can to enable this.

“I am delighted that we end at Mount Kelly, where I went to school. They supported me through my Sixth Form with a scholarship and by offering a boarding space when it was much needed.”

SpringBoard is currently facing a record demand for our help, so we are immensely grateful to Rebecca and her fellow riders for their support. The funds they raise will make a massive difference to the lives of disadvantaged children across the UK - Ian Davenport, Chief Executive of The SpringBoard Bursary Foundation

Ian Davenport, Chief Executive of The SpringBoard Bursary Foundation, said: “We are thrilled that Rebecca and her team will be tackling their Bike Ride in aid of SpringBoard. The funds they raise will help deeply disadvantaged children attend boarding school, where they will have the opportunity to achieve their true academic and personal potential. 

“SpringBoard is currently facing a record demand for our help, so we are immensely grateful to Rebecca and her fellow riders for their support. The funds they raise will make a massive difference to the lives of disadvantaged children across the UK.”

SpringBoard helps children who are deeply disadvantaged by their personal circumstances (through no fault of their own), by enabling them to attend state or independent boarding school. There, they receive a unique opportunity to fulfil their academic and personal potential. From September, the charity will support more than 600 disadvantaged children, through a merger with the Royal National Children’s Foundation (RNCF). The charity receives no statutory funding and depends on voluntary donations to continue its vital work.

You can sponsor Rebecca and the Bike Ride team here. Alternatively, anyone interested in joining the Bike Ride team should contact Rachel Macfarlane: RMacfarlane@badmintonschool.co.uk.