Month: June 2025

Day One York to Bedlam – Completed! Sun, swim and a bit of running Great effort, team. Now have a well deserved rest… but only until tomorrow.   And off they go! 6am start for the Solstice Stride runners in York this morning. Good luck! Follow their progress on Facebook HERE. Please donate to support the Roger Lupton Scholarship and Bursary Scheme via the Justgiving page HERE. Check this page for updates as they run.

The Headmaster, Dan Harrison, with a cohort of runners from the School will run from York to Sedbergh over three days, retracing the steps of our Founder, Roger Lupton, who in 1475 made his way to York to be ordained as an acolyte. On Midsummer’s Day and Night (21^st June) the Runners will arrive at Sedbergh where we will be celebrating this truly historic occasion.

In their hands the Runners will convey a message from King Charles III which will be shared with all the Friends of Sedbergh who wish to join us for this event. The day will culminate with a torchlit parade up Winder after which we will convene at the Cloisters to sing ‘O Valiant Hearts’ as they did in 1925.  Those that join us will sign the Scroll, just as they did in 1925, and become forever part of Sedbergh School history. This is a once in a lifetime spectacular occasion.

   Joe (H 97-01) and Andy (H 92-99) Symonds broke a world record on Saturday 7th June by running the equivalent height of Mount Everest, up and down Winder. They took on the ‘Everesting’ challenge to raise money for charity and in memory of their father Hugh (former member of staff and Honorary OS), 35 years after he set his own world record. Read an article about their achievement in The Westmorland Gazette HERE. If you would like to make a donation you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/everesting-world-record-attempt  Many congratulations to Old Sedberghians Jack Roberts (S 06-13) and Lucy Thomson (L 09-14) who were married on Saturday 7^th June at Stichill Church, near Kelso in the Scottish Borders.  The wedding was conducted by School Chaplain Rev Paul Sweeting.  Their little son Charlie shared in the celebrations!  They were ably supported by OS best men Ralph Chamberlain (P 06-13) and Robbie Harnby (S 05-13) and OS ushers George Renwick (P 09-13), Max Wilkinson (H 08-13) (also MC at the reception) and Tom Carlyle (W 10-13).  Many other OS joined in the celebrations and Rev Sweeting reports that he returned south to Sedbergh with happy memories of a good time spent in excellent company! Michelle Rothwell (L 03-05) redefined what’s possible. She didn’t just take on a challenge – she created one and then she conquered it. It’s called the Shelly Rothwell Round. It’s brutal, beautiful, and unapologetically bold. Here’s the breakdown: 10.5-mile swim – the full length of Lake Windermere – no wetsuit, 12.5°C water, 10 hours. She emerged with hypothermia and kept going. 112-mile bike ride – the infamous Fred Whitton route 3,500m of climbing. Relentless hills. 66-mile run – the legendary Bob Graham Round – 42 peaks. 8,200m elevation. Wind chill below zero. Hallucinations in the dark. And an extra 17.5 miles on the bike — just to link the stages! She did it all in under 3 days with no sleep and no shortcuts.   Why? Because she noticed something missing: there are no iconic endurance events named after women, so she made one. The Shelly Rothwell Round is more than a challenge,  it’s a message: that women deserve to be remembered in endurance history. History was made. Michelle would like to give special thanks to her brother Jeremy Lefton (H 99-04), and her good friends Stuart McGill (H 96-03) and Hannah Gale (R 14-17) for their tremendous support during this amazing challenge. Watch a video of Michelle talking to ITV News HERE.  

In 1990 our Dad, Hugh Symonds (former member of staff and Honorary OS), did a continuous run over all the 3000 foot mountains in Great Britain and Ireland in 97 days – a record that stands to this day. Back then he raised around £20,000 for the charity Intermediate Technology. In 2005 Intermediate Technology was renamed ‘Practical Action.’ Practical Action is a charity that works in poor communities to develop sustainable solutions to health inequalities and poverty.

Hugh Symonds very sadly died of bladder cancer on 25th November 2024 at the age of 71 years.

On this the 35th anniversary of his incredible run, we – his two sons – are going to attempt to break the world record for running up and down the equivalent height of Mount Everest (8848m). We will do this on the side of the hill that Hugh ran more times than any other – Winder, a 473m fell in the Yorkshire Dales, above Hugh’s home town for 43 years, Sedbergh.

Feel free to come along and support us on 7th June, starting at Lockbank Farm (Sedbergh) 8am. The current world record is 10 hours 45 minutes and 14 seconds, held by Danish ultrarunner, Simon Grimstrup. Our aim is to break the 10-hour barrier.

Please consider donating to this important cause that our Dad felt passionately about.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/everesting-world-record-attempt OS Joe (H 97-01) and Andy (H 92-99) Symonds