Simon Gould, head of Hurlingham School in Putney, is running today’s London Marathon for Regenerate, a Roehampton youth charity he has worked alongside for the past 18 months.
Gould’s personal fundraising page had already raised £10,916 from 163 supporters (109% of his £10,000 target) before a single mile was run. With Gift Aid, the total stands at more than £13,200.
Regenerate has worked with young people aged 11 to 25 in Roehampton, Putney and surrounding South West London since 2000. The charity runs Feel Good, a social enterprise that provides paid jobs and employability skills to young people facing barriers to employment. The school’s aim this year is to raise £30,000, enough to fund a full-time Regenerate youth worker and mentor.
The partnership between Hurlingham and Regenerate is not a one-off. Over 18 months, pupils, staff and families at the school have volunteered and fundraised together for the charity. Gould describes what that relationship has meant:
“Over the past 18 months, my school, Hurlingham, in Putney, has worked alongside Regenerate through fundraising and practical initiatives where our wider school community has given time and service to support local families and young people. Their work is not just meaningful, it is transformational.”
Hurlingham School, on Putney Bridge Road, is a co-educational independent prep school for children aged 2 to 11, with 411 pupils across two sites. An inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in March 2025 found all standards met and noted that school leaders “encourage pupils to contribute to the school and local communities actively through engaging in charitable activities.”
Past community efforts have included creating hampers for local families and, in one case, a successful pupil campaign for a zebra crossing outside the school. The school was also named a finalist for Best Pre-Prep School of the Year at last year’s Independent Schools of the Year awards.
You can donate to Gould’s marathon run at his JustGiving page. To find out more about Regenerate, visit regenerate-london.org.
He is one of several local runners taking on today’s race. A Putney home care team from Walfinch is also running, raising money for the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
Gould put the day in perspective himself:
“Marathon training is a test, physically and mentally, but it pales in comparison to the everyday challenges many young people face. That’s why your support means so much. Every donation, whatever the size, helps Regenerate keep showing up, keep listening, and keep providing the guidance and opportunity that can change a young person’s trajectory.”
