‘Bounceathon’ at Sleaford-area schools helps raise more than £6,000 for charity (PICTURES)

Kyra Francis, of Welbourn, and Lauren Fawkes, of Fernwood.

Sir William Robertson Academy, in Welbourn, amassed the sum – £6,655.37 in all – for the Grantham branch of the humanitarian organisation Rotary International.

About half the amount – £3,209.55 – came through the branch’s annual Swimarathon.

For more than 10 years, the school has participated in the event.

Rebecca Fox, of Sleaford, and Grace Baldwin, of Leadenham.

Due to Covid-19, this year’s fundraiser had to be of a smaller scale than usual – with just 70 teams compared to the usual 250.

To help offset this funding setback, the school’s P.E. teacher Laura Graves suggested holding an additional charity event.

Dubbed #SWIM55, it saw schools and organisations being invited to carry out a fundraiser that involved the number 55 – the time in minutes that Swimarathon teams would usually spend in the water.

At Sir William Robertson Academy, the result was the ‘Bounceathon’ – as suggested by Year Seven head Christina Mower.

George Hunnybun, of Claypole, Alfie Bellamy, of Grantham, Bradan Rundle, of Waddington, and Matikudza Janda, of Newark.

This all-day event involved each year group being allocated 55 minutes for bouncy activities, with money coming in to the cause through sponsorship and donations.

During their slots, pupils got to enjoy a laser tag inflatable dome, an assault course, sumo suits, bouncy castles, inflatable slides, and more.

The event brought in £3,445.82 in total.

Mrs Mower said: “All the fundraising goes to local charities and it is so nice to know our pupils have been involved with something which gives back to our local community. Thank you everyone!”