Pippa Middleton has made an exciting announcement in support of one of the causes close to her heart – the Mary Hare Primary School Appeal. The 35-year-old has teamed up with sculpter Sophie Ryder to sell 50 limited-edition bronze hare sculptures in support of the cause, which aims to raise enough money to build a brand new national primary school for deaf children. Speaking of the project, she did admit that her pregnancy had changed her usual approach to charity work, however. "The idea came to me as I was trying to find a way to use the 'Hare' animal as part of an art charity fundraising project for the school," she says on the campaign website. "Typically I would opt for a sporting challenge to raise money but being pregnant this was a little harder to achieve."
Pippa with children from Mary Hare. Photo: Twitter/@maryhareschool
She continues: "The Hare is a celebrated animal in art, particularly in sculpture, it’s full of bold character and majestic expression. I felt there could be great opportunity to link the school with this classic symbol of the British countryside through Sophie Ryder’s work."
MORE: How Kate Middleton is helping sister Pippa through her first pregnancy
Pippa became an ambassador for Mary Hare back in 2013 – the school is based in Berkshire, near where she grew up, and she was introduced to the charity by a friend. Not long after her wedding to James Matthews in 2017, Pippa returned to the school to launch the appeal for a brand-new building, saying at the time: "There are many good reasons to support the Primary School project and I am delighted that the appeal launch has been so successful."
The mum-to-be is thought to be due in October, though she hasn't completely given up her active lifestyle throughout her pregnancy. Pippa recently attended swanky barre studio Define London, where she spent the day with founder Ashley Verma - trainer to stars including Jourdan Dunn, Poppy Delevingne and Georgina Chapman.
Speaking exclusively to HELLO!, Ashley said: "I had the pleasure of working with Pippa during her third trimester, it was super exciting… Pippa definitely has kept fit throughout her pregnancy and it's wonderful that she has incorporated barre into her exercise because it's so unbelievably beneficial for your pre and post-natal journey. For me it was just about giving her all of the tools that she needs to be doing to help her through the journey."
