Some time ago, we heard that Oliver Pickles, Year 9 student at Richmond School, and his brother Charlie, Year 7, were taking part in a 24hr sponsored walk, raising money for their 12-year-old cousin Louie. Louie had recently and very sadly been diagnosed with bone cancer, and the money was being raised to support the family. 

We caught up with the two brothers to find out a bit more. 

To start with, it’s just Charlie... 

RS: Tell us a bit about what you did last weekend, Charlie. 

CP: Me and mum, my brother Oliver and my sister Dolly drove to Mansfield. Dad met us down there because he was at work. We were going to visit our cousin Louie, but he was really sick that day, so we went to do the walk. 

RS: And am I right in saying that it was a 24hr walk – that's a long time! 

CP: Some people did 24hrs, but we didn’t. Some people walked more than 30 miles. 

RS: Wow - that is a long way! How far did you walk and who did you walk with? 

CP: Me and mum did seven miles. In the rain. My sister did five miles – she's only four – then she got in the pram. 

At this point, we are joined by Oliver. 

RS: Thanks for joining us, Oliver. Charlie’s been telling us a bit about the walk – maybe you can fill us in on a few more details? Can you tell us how many people were doing the walk and how the money was raised? 

OP: Yes, there were more than 60 people doing the walk, and they were all raising money via Louie’s Gofundme page. They were all friends and family, but there were some other people there as well – they'd found out about it because it was advertised on the page. When people asked what we were doing the walk for, we told them about Louie and the Gofundme page, so hopefully we raised some more money. 

RS: Charlie said that he and mum walked seven miles, and Dolly walked five, then got in the pram. How far did you and dad walk? 

OP: On the first day I did 17 and a half miles with my dad, then another three on the next day, so 20 and a half miles in total. That first day definitely felt like a long way! 13 people made it all the way to the end – 30 miles. 

RS: And how did the walk work – did you do circuits? 

OP: No. On the first day we started at a pub near where Louie lives – in Mansfield – then the route took us through lots of little villages near Mansfield. The organiser had worked the route out, and everyone followed him. Then on the second day there was a five-mile circuit – some people did three circuits, so they walked 45 miles in total. 

RS: That is a very long way – but you did brilliantly walking more than 20 miles!  

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Louie’s Gofundme page is here: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/louies-biggest-match-yet-fighting-bone-cancer-at-age-12 

And the page for the football match is here: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/louie-pickles-charity-football-match 

Three Richmond School Equestrian Team riders competed in a National Schools Equestrian Association (NSEA) league showjumping competition at Northallerton Equestrian Centre recently.

Ruby Bell, Year 8, jumped a double clear round in the 50cm Optimum Time class on her pony Megland Royal Minstrel. She placed a brilliant second in the 70cm class with another clear round. Ruby rode her other pony, Killea Silver Boro Lady, in the 80cm class, placing 8th overall and 5th nationally. Ruby had a tough round in the 90cm class, picking up 8 faults due to a tight turn resulting in a stop and a rail down. 

Charlie Ingham, also Year 8, rode her pony Lily (Secret Desire II) in the 80cm class placing 10th overall and 6th nationally. 

Leah Knight, Year 10, rode her young and inexperienced pony Diamond Dubonnet. She didn’t manage to place this time, but the combination gained excellent experience for next time!  

Miss Spittlehouse, leader of the Richmond School Equestrian Team, said: “All the girls rode very well, gaining excellent experience and representing the school brilliantly. This event was a warm-up for the super qualifiers in February and March – we're aiming to qualify for the NSEA Arena Eventing Championships for the second year running with the three students we have entered – fingers crossed!”  

Watch this space for reports from those qualifiers! 

The U14s delivered a dominant performance in their 5–0 win against King James, showcasing excellent teamwork, individual brilliance, and real determination from the first whistle to the last. 

From the outset, the team controlled the tempo, moving the ball with confidence and playing some superb football throughout the match. Even as fatigue set in during the second half, the players continued to work hard for each other, maintaining their structure and intensity. 

Standout Performances 

Goalscorers 

Each goal reflected the team’s attacking intent and creativity, with several brilliant individual finishes adding to an already impressive display. 

Between the Posts 

A big thank you goes to Charlee Stead and Orla Noone, who both stepped up to take turns in goal and contributed to securing the clean sheet.  

No photo was taken on the night as the players were very wet and cold! This photo is from a previous match with a slightly different set of players. 

Thanks to Mr Moore, joint Lead Teacher of PE as well as coach and manager of girls' rugby at Richmond School, for this report about a recent local fixture: 

“Richmond School’s Year 9 and Year 10 girls joined together as one rugby team and produced an excellent performance in their recent fixture against Thirsk School and Wensleydale School.  

From the opening whistle, Richmond played brilliantly as a team, showing commitment and determination in both matches. As the games progressed, the players grew in confidence, moving the ball well and supporting each other across the pitch. 

Richmond went on to win both games, a result that was fully deserved and built on a complete team effort. Every player contributed, with clear teamwork in both attack and defence proving to be the key to success. The matches were a great demonstration of how determination and teamwork can lead to outstanding performances and positive results. 

We now have big plans to get a few more students involved and progress to full 15-a-side games in the near future. Watch this space!” 

Thank you to Emma, mum of Willow Connell, Year 10 student at Richmond and Lily, ex-student, for the following:  

“Willow Connell and her older sister and former student Lily hosted a Macmillan Coffee Morning on Saturday at Barton Village Hall. They sadly lost their grandad Dave at age 62 to a rare and aggressive thyroid cancer in September 2024 after a 7-month battle. For the second year running, they wanted to host an event close to what would have been his birthday to try and raise money. Last February the event raised £800!   

A huge thank-you to those who came to support the MacMillan coffee morning in memory of Lily & Willow’s Grandad Dave on Saturday.  

Whilst it was not the busy event we had hoped for (the weather putting a dampener on the day compared to last year's sunshine) those who did venture out braving the cold, damp day to support the event, really did enjoy it. Lots of happy faces, with arms full of tombola prizes and a belly full of cake!

Together we still raised well over £300, with some donations still to come as the online donation page is still open. We will wait before giving a total amount just yet, but it’s creeping towards £400 as I send this update.  
 
Thanks again to all who helped out, who donated prizes, who came along and enjoyed the event, helping raise lots for Macmillan.  

A few of my framed photograph prints sold too, which, as Dave kept encouraging me to keep taking photographs and always said he thought I had a talent for it, was my nod to him. On the day, all money raised from those sales went towards the total for Macmillan too.   

 A big well done to Lily & Willow for wanting to do this event again.  

Nanna Mel & I are very proud, as would Grandad Dave have been.”  

The family would be very grateful for any further donations – at the link below: 

https://tinyurl.com/WillowandLilyCoffeeMorning26 

This week’s dodgeball tournaments were a tremendous success, with 46 teams competing across two full days of action. The enthusiasm, teamwork, and sportsmanship on display made the event one of our strongest yet. A huge thank‑you to all participating schools for their energy and commitment throughout the week. 

Our Year 9 Sports Leaders deserve special recognition for their exemplary efforts throughout both tournament days. They managed all key operational tasks with independence and maturity, including: 

Congratulations to all teams for their effort, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship. Special commendations to Richmond Methodist School and Brompton on Swale for their impressive performances across the week.  

A final thank‑you to the staff, volunteers, and especially our Year 9 Sports Leaders, whose dedication ensured an enjoyable, well‑organised, and memorable tournament for everyone involved. 

Every October, Richmond School gets involved in the global ‘Restart-a-Heart' initiative. All students in Year 8 receive half an hour of training, learning the basics of CPR. The training is delivered by the local teams from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service and other volunteers. The school has been running Restart-a-Heart Day for over 10 years now, meaning that over 2000 students have received the training. 

Fundamental to the training are the CPR manikins that are used to practice CPR, ensuring the technique is exactly right. During the sessions, the students have one manikin each and, as you can imagine, some of them are reaching the end of their useful lives. 

This is where Helen Whitfield, a manager at the Coop, Richmond, comes in: 

“In November 2025, sadly, one of our regular customers at Richmond Coop passed away in our shop due to a heart attack. In his memory we raised £235 from staff and customers. In my other role as a first responder, I have supported Richmond School with their Restart-A-Heart Day in October for several years and knew that they desperately needed new CPR manikins to enable students to practice these essential lifesaving skills. I contacted Nicola Walker who is in charge of the LIFE programme and co-ordinates the Restart-A-Heart Day to see if we could use the raised money to buy five new CPR manikins and donate them to Richmond School. Thank you to Richmond Coop's staff and customers.” 

Thank you so much to Helen and Richmond Coop’s staff and customers for this very generous donation – we are very grateful! 

Grace was nominated by Mrs Cheesbrough who said: “I would like to nominate Grace for the Headteacher’s CREDIT Values Award for her exceptional commitment and attitude throughout the year. She brings an infectious enthusiasm to every French lesson and consistently approaches her learning with positivity and drive.

Her work ethic has been outstanding and her organisation is exemplary—she has created the most meticulously presented and effective set of flashcards to help with revision, demonstrating both creativity and a genuine passion for learning.

She embodies our school values of determination, creativity and independence. Her determination is evident in the consistent effort she puts into improving her French, her creativity shines through in the thoughtful and original ways she completes tasks, and her independence has grown enormously as she takes real ownership of her progress.

She is an absolute pleasure to teach and a true role model to her peers. Keep it up!” 

Thank you to Mr Moore, joint Lead Teacher of PE as well as coach and manager of the Year 9 rugby squad, for this report: 

“Richmond School’s Year 9 rugby team delivered a commanding performance in the Yorkshire Cup semi-final, securing a 56–20 victory over Prince Henry’s Grammar School, Otley. 

From the first whistle, the squad showcased excellence in their skill, discipline, and game management. Their relentless determination in both attack and defence set the tone, with every player contributing to an outstanding team effort. 

Despite the high stakes, the team conducted themselves brilliantly, reflecting the true spirit of school sport. Richmond’s boys now progress confidently to the final, proud of their achievement and hungry for the next challenge.” 

Before Christmas we heard from Rebecca Morgan, mum of Dan Harding, Year 9 student at Richmond School, telling us about his involvement in this year’s Georgian Theatre Royal panto – Cinderella. She mentioned that there was a group of Richmond students involved this year, as well as students from other local schools. She told us about the hard work they had been putting into the rehearsals since September and the workload of performing two shows a day, twice per week throughout the Christmas and New Year period. 

The Georgian Theatre Royal panto has become a bona-fide Richmond institution over the years, so we jumped at the chance to find out some behind the scenes information from Dan: 

RS: Tell us a bit about this year’s panto, Dan. 

DH: Well, this is the fifteenth year they’ve done it, and my third. The theatre thinks it’s the best one they’ve done – it received some brilliant reviews! 

RS: It definitely did! What about for you – what were some of the highlights? 

DH: Getting into the company was definitely a highlight! The auditions were in June – 90 people auditioned for 18 places in the three young company teams – A, B and C. It was quite high-pressure with separate acting, singing and dancing sections. Then meeting and getting to know our team and the other teams in September and starting to learn the songs, choreography, lines, timing, stage directions. Meeting the main company and starting to rehearse with them just two weeks before opening night was good – quite intense, but good fun. Then the shows – that's the best bit. I particularly enjoyed being involved in the knitted star throwing and running through the audience as mice! 

RS: Lots of highlights! Tell us some more details about your bit – how does the young company work in terms of rehearsals and preparation? 

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