Fundraising firefighters visit every station in South Wales
A TEAM of firefighters have run between every single fire station in South Wales, covering a total distance of almost 300 miles on their challenge – all in the name of charity.
The team of 14 – all from Station 11 Ferndale, Rhondda – started at South Wales Fire and Rescue HQ in Llantrisant on Friday and ran around every single station in the region – from Swansea to Monmouthshire, ending up back in Llantrisant on Sunday morning.
It was all to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity and friend of the station, Daniel Morgan, who has been diagnosed with two brain tumours.
Kelvyn Davies, a member of the team, said: “It went well and we finished at 11.45am on Sunday.
“It was a tough few days and some parts were particularly difficult – we were running 20 miles each at a time.”
Speaking about how they thought up the challenge, Kelvyn said: “Similar to how most of these things are dreamt up, we were on a Christmas night out last year. A couple of us got talking and we came up with this idea.
“Originally, it was going to be four of us, but then everyone else wanted to get involved. It ended up as a whole station doing it, and all came from a couple of beers.”
Kelvyn said as far as officials at the station were concerned, the challenge has never been done before. It saw groups of four or five running for a prolonged period of time, before a fire engine with more runners would pick them up and drop others off to continue the run.
Before the challenge, Kelvyn said: “We are going to be running the equivalent of a marathon at a time. That’s going to be a serious challenge.
“There’s four or five of us (who are) more experienced marathon runners – I have done about 15 marathons and Iron Man challenges myself.
“Outside of that four or five, the rest have been training for about six months. It’s been a difficult process and we’ve had to help the less experienced runners get through it. They have all worked really hard.”
The efforts have seen the team raise almost £2,000, and they are still expecting more funds to come in.
Speaking about their friend Daniel, Kelvyn said: “The money given to Daniel and his family will be for them to use as they feel is right.”
To donate to the cause, visit www. justgiving.com/crowdfunding/firefighters-charity-run