A Barry father and colleagues have raised £5,000 for Macmillan by climbing Snowdon at night in memory of his father.
Earlier this month Gildas Griffiths and colleagues from the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership swapped supporting the NHS frontline during the coronavirus pandemic for climbing Snowdon at night in memory of his father Gwyn Griffiths.
Author, award-winning translator and historian Gwyn, who lived in Pontypridd, died in April 2018 aged 77 just months after being diagnosed with incurable cancer.
His son Gildas decided to fundraise for Macmillan to thank the charity for its support.
Gildas, a deputy head of supply chain for the NHS Wales health courier service, originally organised the challenge for 25 April, but the event was postponed due to coronavirus.
Instead, his 33-strong team of colleagues and friends – as well as colleagues from Vodafone UK – took on the challenge earlier this month.
They battled through rain, wind and the cold in the darkness to smash their £3,000 target.
And he was proud to be joined in the challenge by his 14-year-old son Steffan.
Father-of-two Gildas, who is 48, said: “I organised this event following my Dad’s passing in April 2018 after a short illness – it was cancer.
“Macmillan provided Dad and my family with invaluable support and dignity.
“Our Snowdon by Night challenge was very personal to me and a highlight of my fundraising efforts.
“I have been overwhelmed by the support we received from colleagues.
“At a time where my staff have faced the most significant challenges in our careers by working tirelessly on the frontline of the NHS response to the Covid-19 outbreak since February, we were still able to find time to execute the event.”
Gildas had also organised a charity ball for June, which was postponed due to coronavirus, and is now taking place as a charity dinner in April 2021.
Richard Pugh, Head of Partnerships for Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to Gildas and his team of terrific walkers for taking on Snowdon at night to raise money for Macmillan.
“Their support comes at a time when we need it more than ever as the coronavirus pandemic means people with cancer need more of our support while our fundraised income has dropped significantly.
“We can only fund our services thanks to generosity such as theirs and I’d remind anyone who needs support, information or a chat with Macmillan to call us free on 0808 808 0000.”
He had also organised a charity ball for June, which is now taking place as a charity dinner in April 2021.
