Children from Naburn school have walked all the way to France - virtually! For the last month they’ve each logged how far they’ve walked - whether to and from school, or just out and about with their families.

They have submitted their mileage totals to school - and now they're seeking sponsors to raise money for the Friends of Naburn School, and for Bereaved Children Support York (BCSY).

The goal was to walk the 986 miles it would take to reach Leucate near Perpignan on France's south east coast - chosen because a former pupil moved there. The hope was that pupils from Leucate would walk the same number of miles to Naburn. The schools lockdown in France prevented that, though they hope to match the walk in future.

The idea came from the Friends of Naburn School PTA who have been unable hold their usual fund raising sales and events during the pandemic. Aware of the terrible effect the pandemic has had on some children in York, they are sharing money raised with BCSY.

With only 58 pupils in school and 986 miles to walk, each child needed to walk 17 miles on average. Many older children walked much further, so the younger ones didn’t have so far to go. By Monday, after only one month, they completed the challenge and exceeded their goal by walking 1,025 miles!

Head teacher Brenda Christison said: “It has been a joy to see our whole school community joining together in this initiative. Team Naburn at its very best!"

Rachel Atkinson of the PTA added: "It has been a great team effort and the children should be very proud." To sponsor the children, visit naburnschool.com/general/friends-of-naburn-sponsored-walk-to-france