Trail Runners Donate School Desks

KZNTR has been hosting events from Mcoseleli Secondary School in the Table Mountain area outside Pietermaritzburg for some 9 years. The event is more of an experience for participants than a race, as the route accesses Table Mountain itself, sacred to the local community.

Sunday’s finalé event in the KZNTR Winter Series of trail running events saw more than just fast feet and breath-taking views, as the KZN trail community gave back to their host school in a meaningful way.

KZNTR started by pledging to donate 5 desks to the school and put out a call to the KZN community to support the initiative. The result was 15 double seating desks being delivered to the school and handed over to Principal Mtshali. The desks each seat 2 learners, so 30 children will now have desks in time to write their exams. “Our resources are so few, most of my learners are writing on their laps, so this will make a big difference!” said Mr Mtshali.

The Green Desks were sourced from the Wildlands “Recycling For Life” programme. Each desk is made from 60kg of waste, effectively diverting single-use materials that would have ended up in landfills or worse, as pollution. “Wildlands is proud to have made a valuable contribution to underprivileged learners through the Green Desks” said Buyisiwe Dlamini of WILDTRUST, “Through the KZNTR network, our vision for a sustainable future for all continues and we trust that the learners of the Mcoseleli School will use these desks for a brighter future for their community.”

KZNTR have a strong environmental policy, looking to reduce the impact of their events on the environment. One of these policies is their cupless drive (no cups are provided at the aid stations on course), ensuring the use of reusable bottles or cups rather than single-use plastics.

“Having used the facilities at Mcoseleli Secondary School over the years, it is heart-breaking to see the lack of facilities. We have been welcomed by the Table Mountain community from the beginning and Principal Mtshali and his staff work so hard with what they have got at hand, so it is great to be able to give back at such a grass roots level” said Andrew Booth, director of KZNTR “we want to continue this project, so if anyone would like to get involved, this didn’t end at the Table Mountain event – please get in touch with us!”

Anyone interested in contributing can contact KZNTR via 082 791 7069 / eleanor@kzntrailrunning.co.za