On Sunday 12th March a group of Putney High School Parents and Staff will set off from the Putney High Boat House and walk 40km to mark FOPHS' 40th birthday and to celebrate our school community.

You may be wondering what on earth possessed us to suggest such a long walk? 40km to celebrate 40 years of FOPHS sounded good at the time. Thank goodness we are not celebrating our centenary! We will walk the Thames Path to Tower Bridge where we will cross the river and return on the north bank crossing at Hammersmith Bridge. Our walk time is likely to be 9-10 hours.

Over the past 4 decades FOPHS has raised thousands of pounds to fund extras for all the pupils of Putney High School and with the help of countless other parent volunteers they have organised hundreds of events for pupils and parents. Alongside fundraising and fun, friendship is one of our key aims. Our school parent community is a warm and inclusive one and through both volunteering and attending our events, FOPHS has always helped families to get to know each other.

After the challenges of the last few years, we wanted to organise an event that brought the parents back together and to celebrate the fact that it isn't just our children who leave Putney High School with friends for life.

There is a 20km route for those who don't have the time or inclination to do the whole 40km and whilst this will be a mental and physical challenge, it is not a race. No running is allowed. We are aiming to distract ourselves with what FOPHS does best, a bit of a chat.

Whilst this event is focusing on friendship rather than fundraising, we would welcome a small donation to show your appreciation of FOPHS and all that it has brought to Putney High School over the past 40 years. We very much appreciate that these are challenging times and promise that any donations made will be used carefully to fund extras that benefit all the pupils of Putney High School. And of course a donation is entirely optional. As ever, we thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you at future FOPHS events.

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