Mr Gynn, Deputy Head at Chiltern Primary School, is running a marathon from the school to Marwell Zoo to raise money to help subsidise school trips in the Summer Term.

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The school serves a community that exhibits high social needs. There is high need for social services support. Unemployment, poor physical and mental health are some of the issues that the Buckskin ward experiences at higher levels than other areas in Basingstoke and Deane. There are proportionally more lone-parent households and residents not working due to long-term illness. There are over four times more households in Buckskin with limited resources budgeting just to make ends meet. The consequences for children living in households with these complex needs can be anything from lacking the focus to learn, limited uniform, difficulties forming friendships to classroom disruption, poor attendance, and poor mental and emotional health.

During lockdown the school supported nearly a quarter of the pupils with IT equipment and continued to provide breakfast cereal and bagels for every family.

In a normal year, we visit Marwell Zoo. For some children, this will be the only time they visit a wildlife park.

We also visit the Tower Of London. For some children, this is their first time to the capital.

We also take a class to an outdoor activity centre where they learn to challenge themselves and support others.

We’ve worked hard to ensure our pupils have a rich and engaging curriculum. We don't want a global pandemic to stop that. Unfortunately, the school has faced increasing costs of cleaning supplies and safety equipment. This has again severely limited our ability to give children the experiences they desperately need after lockdown.

Parents and families have also faced hardships of reduced incomes through furlough or redundancy. Coronavirus has affected us all. We don’t want it to affect children any more than it has already.

The Run

Heading South out of Basingstoke... and keep going... and going... and going...

Mr Gynn is Deputy Headteacher at Chiltern Primary School in Basingstoke.

Follow his progress on Twitter @GynnMr

The furthest he has previously run is a Half-Marathon in Basingstoke.

Is 12 weeks enough to train for a marathon?

This will be a challenge.

Mr Gynn talking on BBC Radio Berkshire