Mum completes marathon walk to raise money for new school minibus

A mum has walked the length of a marathon and raised more than £5,000 for a new accessible school minibus.

Kim Richards, 36, completed the 26.2 mile walk from Bognor to Brighton in just over 12 hours on Friday.

She did it to raise money to put towards a new Sunshine Coach for Central Hub Brighton in Lynchet Close, Brighton, where she works.

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The hub, a learning facility for students who cannot join mainstream schools for various reasons including illness, behavioural issues and mental health problems, currently has a minibus with a leaking roof.

If the school can find a sponsor and raise enough money, the students will be able to have a new fully accessible minibus from Variety, the children’s charity.

It would mean they can go on trips as part of their learning experience.

She has raised over £5,000 (Image: Kim Richards)

Kim completed the walk with Mandy James, 59, Del Woodward, 29, and Justin Cole, 43, and they were joined by Penny Langridge, 58, and Toby Mariner, 45.

The team started at 6.45am and finished at 7pm.

Kim’s nine-year-old daughter Bella joined them for the last two miles and children from The Central Hub also joined in for part of it to cheer the team on.

Kim said: "I found the whole experience with my team very wholesome and exhilarating.

"I feel very emotional and thankful but also amazed and in awe at how amazing my team – Mandy, Del, Justin, Toby, and Penny – did.

"They brought a great energy and a huge amount of determination with them. I couldn’t have done it without them."

Kim, whose fundraiser can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/page/kim-richards-1717590246157, added: "Seeing our students really gave us the boost we needed. As we approached them we were greeted with banners they had made for us all and the biggest smiles.

"It was an amazing feeling seeing them all so happy and excited about the challenge."