Raise funds for The Sparkle Bean Trust

On Sunday 14th April I’ll be running the Manchester Marathon in aid of The Sparkle Bean Trust and any donations would be greatly appreciated.

I’m built for comfort rather than long distance running! The only running I would typically consider doing is chasing after a fish & chip van. I’m relatively confident I’ll complete the marathon but know that it’ll be gruelling and not particularly quick.

Importantly, it is an opportunity to share the brilliant work of The Sparkle Bean Trust that was set up in 2022 by my friend Chris Upton.

Sadly, in May 2017, a pupil at Tarleton Community Primary School, where Chris is the headteacher, died in the Manchester Arena Attack. Her name was Saffie-Rose Roussos and she was only eight years old. This devastated the school community, an unprecedented situation for a UK primary school to face in modern times.

In the years following this appalling event, Chris and his team learnt a lot about trauma, supporting their children in innovative ways to ensure they received the education they deserved and could enjoy being children again which at times was incredibly difficult due to the fear and grief they felt.

Chris recently wrote the book Searching for the Sparkle: A School’s Journey of Recovery to lift the lid on his experiences and to support others who may have to sadly face a similar situation. All profits from the book go to Sparkle Bean Trust that uses this money to provide small grants to primary schools following the sudden death of a pupil.

Why the name, you may ask? Sparkle represents the origins from the book and the work completed in finding the sparkle in the children’s eyes. It also represents Saffie and the sparkle she brought to everybody’s lives. Bean represents money therefore money to sparkle.