Dylan and friends raise £6,000 for Ysbyty Gwynedd’s Alaw ward
Staff member Dylan Parry and six former colleagues trekked from Rhyl to Caernarfon in memory of his mum Mandy
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai staff member Dylan Parry and friends have raised more than £6,000 for Ysbyty Gwynedd’s Alaw cancer ward.
They trekked 40 miles from Rhyl to Caernarfon this summer in memory of Dylan’s late mother, Mandy Parry.
The group, who all worked at the Crown pub in Caernarfon, also summited Yr Wyddfa last November - with the two fundraisers bringing in £3,000 each. You can donate here.
Dylan, who works in the examinations department at Coleg Menai, said his mam would have been proud of their achievements.
Mandy sadly passed away in August last year at the age of 58 after a long battle with breast cancer. She had received treatment at the Alaw ward at various points since her diagnosis five years earlier.
Dylan told North Wales Live: “The staff were absolutely brilliant with mam during her time at the Alaw ward - they became like family towards the end.
“We spent a lot of time there as a family and saw how hard they worked for patients, often in challenging conditions. We wanted to show our gratitude and do something to help other families facing the same difficult journey we did.”
Dylan and his six former colleagues Jack Williams, Dion Owen, Lexi Davis, Meinir Hughes, Mia Hughes and Siriol Enlli set off from the ‘Welcome to Rhyl’ sign at 7pm on July 26. They trekked across North Wales overnight to avoid the summer heat, arriving at the Crown shortly before noon the next day following a gruelling 16-hour hike.
“When we told people about the sponsored walk, a lot of them were incredulous,” said Dylan. “Some even said they’d only sponsor us afterwards because they didn’t think we’d manage it.
“It was really tough going, but there was a good group of us, and we took it in turns to keep spirits up. A lot of the regulars had come to the pub to welcome us back - and they were pretty shocked we’d completed it. Overall, it was a really memorable experience, with a mixture of emotions towards the end.”
Dylan said pub regulars had supported the hike, adding: “John Andrew drove us all to Rhyl in a minibus to get us started, R&I in Caernarfon supplied bottles of water and chocolate bars, Adrian ‘Stan’ Jones bought members of the group proper walking shoes, while Pete Hanks gave us some more first aid and hydration supplies.
“We were also overwhelmed by the donations, and Steven Hughes, the Crown’s landlord, rounded things off with his own contribution.”
Dylan said the Crown’s manager Meinir Hughes has suggested a sponsored headshave to bump up the cash fund before it is handed to the Alaw ward.
“On behalf of the group, I’d like to thank everyone who sponsored us and helped make the fundraiser such a success,” Dylan added.
If you’d like to donate, visit the JustGiving page: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/crown40mile