Catholic schoolteacher runs 200 miles for charity

Chris with team of supporters

On Friday afternoon, Catholic school teacher, Chris Bailey, arrived on the steps of Westminster Cathedral to complete the final leg of his 193-mile charity run: Vaughan to Run. Running from Cardinal Vaughan’s birthplace in Gloucester to his final resting place at Westminster Cathedral, ‘Vaughan to Run’ was an extraordinary challenge set up by The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in memory of Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, third Archbishop of Westminster.

Over the course of just six days, Chris ran an exhausting 193 miles (310km) and passed through five Catholic dioceses and over thirty Catholic parishes. From staying overnight at St Peters Church, Gloucester, to the group of Sixth Formers who accompanied Chris across the finish line, Vaughan to Run was very much a communal celebration with every penny raised being donated to Aid to the Church in Need and the Good Shepherd Project.

Mr Bailey said: “I have been teaching at Cardinal Vaughan for 13 years so to take on a challenge as tough as this one offered a brilliant opportunity for me to give something back. I am grateful for all the support I have been shown so far and hope that many others will get involved and donate to the Good Shepherd Project.”

Collecting funds to support and run the local Catholic school of Kassala, the Good Shepherd Project helps provide a place of safety and education for 990 local refugee children on the Sudanese/Eritrean border. Full details can be found on the website (www.vaughantorun.com).

Donations can be made online through the Vaughan’s JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/vaughantorun/