Monday 17 March 2014

The Finish Line Is In Sight!

Friday is Sports Relief Day which means the final mile of 268  for the 1600 pupils taking part in Cracking the Spine. Andy will be in Edale, The Peak District where five of the project schools are located. In the absence of a stunt double, and/or time travel he has written to the others. Here is the letter...

Sport Relief Day is nearly here which means the final mile of your HUGE 268 mile challenge.
Some of you have run lots of miles on your own
Some of you have run lots of miles with friends
And some of you will have even inspired other people to start running

All of you, I suspect, have run further than you thought you could at the start – and for that there are only two things to say:

YOU CAN ALWAYS GO FURTHER THAN YOU THINK YOU CAN…
you just have to take the first small step and start

and

CONGRATULATIONS – and THANK YOU FOR ACCEPTING MY CHALLENGE!

I can’t be with you on Friday but I will be thinking about a very special group of 13 schools and 1600 pupils that will always be the first to take part in Cracking The Spine 2014 – and that includes you.

May your final mile be the swiftest and smileyest of them all

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Tuesday 7 January 2014

Andy's message to the schools

One Week To Go:  
Andy’s Message To Pupils

So on Saturday I re-sit my exam. 
Last year I failed the test so this time I’ve changed 
my revision – done it different  
because I want to get a different result. 
I’ve done my homework and I’ve learned my lessons – 
I hope. 
We’ll see… 
Something big is about to happen - it’s OK to be nervous – it’s OK to be excited, and I’m 
both right now. Packing my kit, watching the weather forecast, and trying to relax and 
sleep as well as I can. 

The calm before the storm… 
Many of you are partway into your 268 mile challenge, some of you are nearly finished 
and some of you – like me - are about to start. 
There are now 13 schools and nearly 1600 pupils taking part in this Cracking The Spine 
challenge and raising money for Sport Relief: That’s incredible and YOU are part of it. 
My school visits have been very very special, and while it is impossible for me to get to 
know every one of you, I have been inspired by your own commitment, your stories and 
your achievements. I will be packing that feeling in my rucksack to use when I need a 
boost and something extra to smile about. 

I hope you enjoy following the progress of the runners on-line next week and using the 
race in some of your lessons. 

I’ll be back to see you before Sport Relief Day. 
As for next week? I commit to doing my best. 
Will that be good enough to pass the test this time? The only way to find out is to have 
the courage to start… 


Andy