During February, Paul Mark Williams from Caernarfon ran 5K every day for 31 days raising £2500 for Gafael Llaw. All in aid of the care his daughter received when she was ill with meningitis.

Over the years, Paul has undertaken various challenges raising funds for the Caernarfon based charity who support Ward Dewi, children’s ward at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Alder Hey hospital and Clic Sargent.

Paul explains: “My original plan was to fundraise during the summer of 2020, but unfortunately because Covid I was unable to train for the mountain challenge I had planned. So, I thought of something that was realistic and possible to achieve during this lockdown. I really enjoyed it, despite a few days of awful weather and a knee injury. The most difficult thing was finding the time to do it each day. Between working full-time, looking after the children and volunteering at the Fire Station.

“It was great to see my time improving each day, and to see the donations coming as I completed each day. I can’t thank the community enough. I’ve been blown away by everyone’s support, even though we’re in a pandemic people have been so generous. I’d like to especially thanks my fellow Caernarfon Town supporters and coaching team. My 9-year-old son, Ceian ran with me on the last day, which was really special.”

Gafael Llaw was founded by a group of friends in 2013 to support children and young people from Gwynedd and Anglesey who have cancer. All the money raised by Gafael Llaw and their fundraisers goes directly towards improving the facilities and services for children with cancer.

Iwan Trefor Jones, Gafael Llaw Chairman said: “Congratulations to Paul on completing this challenge. Paul has been an amazing fundraiser and supporter of Gafael Llaw over the years and even during this tough year, he’s continued his efforts.

“This money will help us continue to support our work of improving services at Ward Dewi. We’re currently in discussions with the Health Board and finalising plans to fund new equipment and facilities on the ward. We’ve also been working with Alder Hey, and recently provided funding to buy new laptops for staff and funding for a 4D Distraction Room, which we hope will be constructed later this year.

“It’s been a challenging year for the charity sector, but thanks to people like Paul we’ve been able to continue supporting the NHS during such a critical period. We’re really grateful to him and the community.”