Norbury pupils get on their bikes for new classroom

Norbury Primary School has been involved in the organising of the Long Mynd Batch Burner, a 32-mile cycling event over the Shropshire hills, for the past four years – but normally the actual pedalling is left to the adults.

This year, three weeks before the actual event on June 10, the pupils of Norbury got together to complete the course themselves, by way of a relay race.

The challenge was to give the usual Batch Burner fundraising an extra boost, since the growing 76-pupil primary school wants to build and furnish a new classroom.

Head teacher Les Ball said: "This year we have very ambitious plans for the future development of our school, to provide additional space for our growing numbers and eventually to raise enough money to build a purpose designed nursery and reception classroom, to replace our old temporary building.

"Our local authority is very supportive and has already committed some funds to begin this, but we will need to raise a considerable additional amount to build exactly what our children deserve."

But, he said, Norbury, like many other small, rural schools, is currently facing a huge challenge to its funding.

"The budget for extra-curricular activities and future development is minimal or non-existent," he said.

For the first phase of development for the new classroom the school needs to raise £20,000, but more will be needed for phases following that.

So, he said, staff and children had decided to get on their bikes, with younger ones tacking a few hundred meters of the course and older ones a few miles.

He said: "Our older children are fully trained mountain bikers, having completed their training during PE lessons, and completed the very challenging parts of the course, whilst our younger children completed the flatter, safer parts."

He said all were accompanied along the way, by himself and wife Lynn, who are both British Cycling qualified coaches.

"All of us are raising as much money as we can through sponsorship, whilst also raising awareness of the situation in rural education.

"Lynn and I are both riding the adult Batch Burner to raise money too."

Tickets sold out for the Batch Burner in just an hour of going on sale, with 400 riders signed up to complete the course this year.

The event regularly raises more than £9,000 each year for the school, which in the past has gone towards everything from kayaking and theatre trips to music provision throughout the school – and even mountain bike training.

To help out visit the school's fundraising page online at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/norburyprimaryschool