A group of students from Rosebery School in Epsom ran 788 miles in honour of their Maths teacher, Mr Celine, to raise funds for Princess Alice Hospice.

Rosebery Runners' 17 members gave themselves two months in which to complete the task of running a relay, linking all their university towns together to form a huge loop across the country.

This Is Local London: Tasha who attended Nottingham University Tasha who attended Nottingham University

Mr Celine was both an inspirational and popular teacher to his students. So to mark the second anniversary of his death, the students wanted to do something to celebrate his time at the school and to raise money for Princess Alice Hospice, where he was cared for at the end of his life.

Organiser Sophie said:

"The last time he saw our class he told us he wanted us to work hard on our A-levels and do our best to get into the universities of our dreams. It started off with students from Mr Celine’s A level maths class between 2017-2019, but then a group of Maths teachers from Rosebery School also got involved. We kept track of who was running and their mileage by using a group Strava page.

"After a slow start due to some of us having to self-isolate, we soon picked up the pace and the miles seemed to rack up very quickly. It was really nice to monitor our progress as a group and everyone was so supportive of one another!”

This Is Local London: Alice who attended Cambridge University Alice who attended Cambridge University

Community Partnerships and Events Lead at the Hospice, Claire Woodward said:

“What a wonderful way to remember a teacher who made such a positive impact on his students. We’ve been so grateful for the support from our community during this difficult year, but getting outside in the fresh air and keeping fit has never been so important, so I hope this inspires other young people to take up the fundraising mantle in a similar way!’’

For anyone wanting to support the students, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/team/roseberyrunners