Close to 40 teachers from Balcarras School will be taking part in this year’s Cheltenham Half Marathon.

And it is sure to be an emotional day for all of them because they will be running in memory of their former colleague Kevin Clancy, who sadly died in February at the age 65.

There will be 38 teachers from the Charlton Kings school on the starting line on Sunday 21^st September and they will be thinking of Kevin every step of the way as they go round the 13.1-mile course.

Kevin, who taught physics and also ran the school’s careers department, was diagnosed with cancer about two-and-a-half years before he died.

And even though he had retired in 2018, Kevin’s passing was deeply felt at Balcarras.

“Kev was a brilliant bloke,” said Mark Constance, an RE teacher who worked with him for about 15 years.

“The school is a great community, both student and staff-wise. It was a no-brainer to do something like this to support him. Kev was a dearly-loved member of staff.

“He was a really good mate to all of us, he was the glue in the staffroom.”

Mr Constance, along with fellow teacher Jon Pearce, has organised the school run and they’re hoping to raise £5,000-6,000 for Sue Ryder, who gave Kevin home support in his final weeks.

“They are incredible, incredible people,” said his daughter Anna of the Leckhampton-based charity.

Anna, too, will be running the Cheltenham Half even though the 27-year-old, a former Balcarras pupil, readily admits she’s never run a race in her life.

She’ll be cheered on by her mum Lesley and sisters Kerry and Ellen, and she said: “I’d be very happy with a time of two hours, 15 minutes.”

Taking part in the Cheltenham Half is a fitting tribute to Kevin who was a keen runner. He ran marathons and half-marathons and was a regular participant in Balcarras School’s Monday evening running club.

He was a keen member of the school’s Friday night football club and also enjoyed cycling, skiing and sailing – he was a member of Cotswold Sailing Club in South Cerney.

“We are all members of Cotswold Sailing Club,” said Anna, who has recently started a new job as a project manager in Bristol.

“He loved his cycling, too. Mum and dad went to Chile and Argentina with their bikes for six weeks when he retired, they were great adventurers.”

Anna is extremely grateful for all the support the family have received from Balcarras School.

“It’s an incredible community, it’s like a massive family,” she said. “What they’re doing for dad is amazing.”

And they’re doing it because Kevin Clancy touched everyone’s heart.

“He was an incredible man, my dad didn’t take life too seriously,” said Anna. “He supported everyone around him.

“He did everything to the best of his ability but he always wanted to have fun, too.

“We’d always go to him for advice, he was very special, very unique, he brought a lot of people together.”

The Balcarras runners taking part in the Cheltenham Half are Luke Perry, Sue Clemow, Jamie Weller, Simon Critchley, Jon Pearce, Graham Best, Mark Constance, Anna Clancy, Darren Leatherbarrow, Paul Godfrey, Mark Harvey, Alex Boughton, Andrew Harding, Clare Hearing, Sian Renton, Ella Langford [Whiteland], Jack Goddard, Joe Wilgoss, Sam Bury-Brunsdon, Cheryl Crowley, Will Rothwell, Matt Howell, Jo Taylor, Sarah Leach, Ros Waters, Alison Bird, Rachel Parsons, Jen Swanepoel, Heather Harris, Hannah Went, Sam McLaughlin, Adrienne Niblett, David Sharkey, Emma Titmus, Lou McRitchie, Dan Armstrong, Andy Cadogan and James Masters.

They range from sub one hour, 20-minute half-marathon runners through to slow veterans of many miles. Some of them haven’t put on their trainers for several years while some are first-timers.

The race, which starts and finishes at Cheltenham Racecourse, gets under way at 9am. Anyone who wants to support the teachers should visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/jon-pearce-9?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL