Ayrshire: Mary's Meals success for Largs Academy fun run

This was the fourth year the school was doing the event, and it has now raised over £27,000 for the charity, including contributions from Gift Aid and Mary's Meals 'Double the Love' campaigns.

The event started and finished at the Largs lifeboat station, with The Pencil marking the halfway turning point.

Largs Academy miles better! (Image: Largs Academy)

Mary’s Meals sets up school feeding programmes in some of the world’s poorest communities, and the charity now feeds more than 2.4 million children every school day.

It costs just £19.15 to feed a child for an entire school year (approximately 10p per school meal), so even small donations can have a huge impact.

And the pupils couldn't resist a quick dip in the sea to cool off following their impressive effort following the charity run.

Over 100 pupils participated in the charity run (Image: Largs Academy)

Gareth Atkinson, geography teacher at Largs Academy and organiser said: "The S6 pupils and their families did a really amazing job at fundraising in the lead-up to the event.

"Our JustGiving site has raised £4,607.75, which is an amazing achievement! Most of this money was raised from generous online donations.

"I'm so proud of our pupils. They really embraced the event and got right behind the venture. The weather was pretty miserable on the day but they didn't let that dampen their spirits.

The weather wasn't the best but the pupils didn't let that dampen their spirits (Image: Newsquest)

"It was such a joyful occasion and it was great to see so many pupils and staff beaming from ear to ear at the finish line. All the money we raised will go directly to Mary's Meals, helping lift children out of hunger and poverty in some of the world's poorest communities.

"I'm always astounded by the generosity of our school community when we run charitable ventures such as this. It's encouraging to see young people wanting to make a difference and help others in less fortunate circumstances than themselves. 

"Thank you to everyone in the local community who supported us, either by donating to our JustGiving website or cheering us on along the way, it is very much appreciated!"

The pupils were all in high spirits to raise money for Mary's Meals (Image: Largs Academy)

For more information and to donate to the fundraiser visit their JustGiving page at justgiving.com/page/largs-academy-marys-meals-2023.