TEACHERS, pupils and friends are taking on the Great North Run on Sunday in memory of three students who tragically lost their lives.

The team, from Appleby Grammar School, will be tackling the half marathon in Newcastle, and money raised will go towards Child Bereavement UK, the charity that supported the school community in the wake of the deaths. 

They will be running in memory of Sonny Pearson-Yates, who died aged just 11 in January 2016, Natasha Daldry, who had just left the school when she died and a third former pupil.

Adding to the grief that was already being felt by the students, in the same academic year, one GCSE student lost his mother after she received a terminal diagnosis. 

Child Bereavement UK came into the school to support the students, with teacher Sam Rowan saying that around a quarter of the students received counselling over the course of six months. 

“It was invaluable,” Ms Rowan said. “They were our only lifeline. It was straight after Storm Desmond and Appleby had been flooded repeatedly, so we already had children in school who were quite traumatised by that. To then have that straight on the back of the flooding, I think we did not know which way was up.”

Sam will be pounding the streets in the North East alongside other staff members, PE teacher Dave Barton, Isla Griffiths, Catherine Benson, Louise Auchterlonie and Kellina Truch - as well as Sally Linsley, headteacher of Warcop Primary.

Three year nine Appleby Grammar School students, Will Davies, Brad Tallentire Daw and Ben Walsh, will also be running 2.5 miles on Saturday in memory of Sonny, their friend and schoolmate. Donate at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/ApplebyMagnificent7.

“As a community, Appleby and the Eden Valley has faced numerous challenges over the past 18 months, but by far the most overwhelming has been the sudden and tragic deaths of three young local people,” she said.

“We have all been united in our grief and sadness but none of us can imagine the depth of pain suffered by their close friends and family.”

So far the team has raised more than £2,000 and is aiming for £2,500.