Fundraisers will be putting their best foot forward for charity, when former students from Aureus School in Didcot undertake a three-day sponsored walk in support of a teacher diagnosed with a rare medical condition.
Carolyn Saul was forced to take early retirement from Aureus after she discovered the debilitating symptoms she had been experiencing were due to Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a degenerative disease sometimes confused with Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis.
Following Ms Saul’s diagnosis, staff and students at Aureus chose the MSA Trust as their Charity of the Year, with planned fundraising events including the sponsored walk by the three Aureus alumni – Amelie, Bea, and Holly.
The trio will begin their epic 57-mile walk at Rosebery School in Surrey, where Ms Saul spent the first 19 years of her teaching career, on Friday this week before reaching Aureus three days later on Sunday 1 March.
There they will be joined by family, friends, staff and students eager to offer their support – as well as to celebrate Ms Saul, who worked for more than 25 years at the GLF Schools multi-academy trust, of which both Rosebery and Aureus are members.
“We have three students that used to come to Aureus that are doing a sponsored walk starting from Carolyn’s first school, which is Rosebery School in Surrey,” explained Hannah Powell, who is Assistant Headteacher at Aureus.
“They are doing a sponsored walk over three days, and on the third day they’re going to arrive back at Aureus. There’s going to be lots of banners and balloons to welcome them back, to celebrate, and to congratulate them on the fact that they’ve done this work for the MSA charity.
“We have got about 100 people coming, from parents to students to colleagues, and there’ll be afternoon tea and speeches to celebrate Carolyn as part of our ‘The Heart and Saul of Aureus’ event.”
In honour of Ms Saul, Aureus School is also acting as an advocate for the MSA Trust, which works to promote awareness of the incurable condition thought to affect around 3,500 people in the UK.
“Carolyn has been an indispensable member of our team, and we were all heartbroken to learn of her diagnosis,” added Mrs Powell. “She is truly remarkable, and her extensive knowledge of the community and deep affection for her students inspired us all.
“This will be an opportunity for us all to come together to celebrate Carolyn and to mark her retirement, as well as to raise funds for the MSA charity.”