Summary of article in Billed Bladet #25, 2014.
Written by our running reporter, Lisbeth Grube.
Mary started the Free From Bullying 1.000 meter relay run in Fælledparken in Copenhagen last Saturday. 1.500 children with additional family members were there.
After giving a short speech and having taken part in the warming up, which included forming a circle with four girls to dance, it was time to start the run.
After which Mary rushed to the finishing line, along with the children's favorite Mr. Beard in order to pick up medals because the first children were already darting towards the finishing line.
Mary and Mr. Beard handed out medals to the children as they finished the run, as Mary explained: "It's a great joy to give every single child a medal. You should give them a little word on the way".
And that she did. "Was it a good run"? "Are you tired"? But Mary also got something in return, someone put a homemade necklass around her neck. Lots of children also wished to pose with Mary so the time schedule soon went completely down the drain.
Before the run Mary also had a chat with various chidlren, among them Siri, who is almost four years old. She insisted on wearing a tiara while running, actually she also wanted to run in a princess-dress her mother interjected. Mary asked Siri if she thought the tiara would remain on her head, but apparantly Siri thought so.
None of Mary's children were present this year.
Q: How do you involve your own chidlren in Free From Bullying?
Mary: "They have Free From Bullying programmes in their school, so they know about it and they know about the tools which are a part of the programme. I can tell from the way they speak with their friends and from what is going on at the school.
It's very important that we all engage ourselves in the school-life of our children. In how they thrive and how they are".
About the day Mary said: "It warms my heart". (*)
(*) Very understandable Mary speaks in Zealandic/Copenhagener dialect here. Litterally she said: "I get warm around my heart". A Jutlander like myself would say: "I get warm in my heart".
The same thing about say cold hands:
In Zealandic: "I freeze around my hands".
In Jutlandic: "I freeze my hands".
English speakers among you can judge which version would be more natural for you to use if you were suddenly dropped in Denmark.
- Just a little detail for the nerds.