Schools team up for 600km Nightingale run

Sunday 24 May 2020

Students from JCG and VCJ have teamed up to run the distance between Jersey's Millbrook-based field hospital and the NHS Nightingale in London to raise money for charities helping the community through the virus crisis.

The sixth-formers covered a total of 600km between 6 and 8 May.

To adhere with the physical distancing and lockdown rules that were then in place, each of the students ran as far as they could within their two hours of daily exercise in separate parishes.

Their challenge aimed to raise funds Caring Cooks and Brightly, who JCG Head Girl Rosie Nicholls said were "working hard to provide meals and supplies to vulnerable people during this time".

Caring Cooks extended its weekly meal service to all islanders in need in March to ensure no one went without food during the covid-19 pandemic.

The ‘Weekly Meal Service’, which normally operates one day a week, has been running six days each week, with up to 300 meals cooked every day for islanders who are sick, isolated, in financial crisis or facing other challenges.

Pictured: Both Caring Cooks and Brightly are trying to make sure islanders young and old do not go without food during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Brightly, a charity who support children from the ages of birth to 25 years old living in the care system, has been providing children and young adults who are unable to work or who have lost their jobs due to covid-19 food vouchers and topping up their phone bills so they are able to keep in contact with the outside world. 

Saltgate, a foundation parter of Victoria College and close sponsor of Jersey College for Girls, has offered to match the students fundraising total.

At the time of writing, they are currently very close to their target - which would mean a total donation of £10,000 - and are hoping to raise the final few hundreds pounds needed to reach £5,000.

"We are immensely proud of the sixth formers from both colleges," JCG Vice Principal Toni Rollo said.

"They have had their own concerns surrounding the uncertainty about exams this summer but they have been pro-active in organising this event. We have supported them but they have done all of the work themselves."