Assistant principal at Beck Row Primary Academy, near Mildenhall, on a mission to take whole school for a trip to the seaside

A kind-hearted teacher is leading by example in a bid to take all 251 pupils at his school on a longed-for trip to the seaside.

On Sunday, Ryan Thomas, 35, assistant principal at Beck Row Primary Academy, near Mildenhall, completed the 26.2 mile TCS London Marathon in four hours and 27 minutes.

Despite being told as a teenager he would never achieve the feat after suffering a collapsed lung, it was his fifth marathon to date – and raised £1,350 towards the school trip to Hunstanton, Norfolk, in July.

At the end of May all the pupils at the school will also run the TCS London Mini-Marathon in aid of the fund-raising drive.

The school has already raised around £5,000 in total through a series of events including a bake sale and general fundraising.

Ryan said: “Over 50 per cent of our children have never been to the beach so what probably sounds like quite a simple thing is actually quite life- changing to them.

“The pupils are very excited and currently training for their 2.6 mile mini-marathon during PE lessons and which they will run at the school at the end of May.

“Thanks to everyone’s generosity we have already booked the coaches, a catering and ice cream company.

“We need to raise around £6,000 in total and it should be a great trip including a visit to the sea life centre.”

Ryan, a keen runner as a teenager, underwent a major lung operation, called pleurectomy, when he was age 19.

He hopes by leading by example, to inspire children, teachers and the wider community to set ambitious aspirations.

He said: “Anything is possible for anyone. It’s working within your means and your drive to do that.”

”Taking part in the mini-marathon is inspiring more than the children – it’s also getting the community involved. The children feel part of something.”

Ryan, who is the school’s special educational needs co-ordinator, also plans to make a donation to the National Autistic Society.

To sponsor the trip, click here