A bakery worker raised more than £3,000 for an air ambulance charity in memory of her dad by taking part in a punishing 50-mile fell run.
Florence Roberts, 26, who works at the Village Bakery in Wrexham, completed the Long Mynd Hike, in just over 12 hours, most of the time in total darkness.
The race included 8,000ft of climbing, covering eight summits in Shropshire and Florence or Floss, as she’s known, described it as the “single hardest thing” that she has ever done.
In total she raised £3,100 for the Midland Air Ambulance which scrambled after her 58-year-old father, Richard Roberts, fell ill whilst driving a tractor on the family farm, Pentre David, in Hengoed, near Oswestry.
Bosses at the Village Bakery have also chipped in with a donation of £500.
Floss, who works in the new product development department, teamed up with her friend her friend Margaret Herbert, 28, who crossed the finish line with her at 1.15am.
She is a keen runner and had done a 20-mile run and three half marathons before taking on the Long Mynd Hike.
As the memories of the pain recede, she’s now looking forward to a new challenge.
Floss said:
“It was fantastic. It was hard but we were lucky with the weather because there was hardly any rain.
“We started at 1pm and then it took me 12 and a quarter hours to finish.
“It was a good achievement and it makes me want to do another one now.
“The toughest bit was around 10:30pm when your body just goes into general evening mode and you’re usually ready for bed but, on this occasion, we had a few more hours to go.
“They had checkpoints along the way and mini tents that you go in, and if you stayed in there for too long you’d get cold within minutes.
“It was definitely a relief to cross the finish line – everything hurt. My feet were killing me, my hips and my knees were hurting too.
“It was a very good cause and one that’s very close to my heart and we raised £3,100 which is way more than I had thought.
“I’m particularly grateful to managing director Robin Jones and projects director Christien Jones who contributed £500.
“I did the run in honour of my dad which makes me doubly proud.
“He suffered a fatal cardiac arrest whilst in his tractor and only yards away from the family farm, where he worked tirelessly his whole life.
“Midlands Air Ambulance were called and arrived within minutes, landing and remaining on standby in an adjacent field.
“Unfortunately, the paramedics, already at the scene, were unable to save Dad despite their efforts.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to Midland Air Ambulance for responding so rapidly and waiting patiently throughout this difficult time.
“A neighbouring farm lost their dad as well in an accident on the farm, and Midlands Air Ambulance were there within minutes and rushed him straight off to hospital
“Midlands Air Ambulance respond to 2,000 call outs each year. What is not widely known is that they receive no Government funding.”
Managing director Robin Jones said: “We are all very proud of Floss and what she has achieved for such a worthy cause.
“It was a really tough challenge and she came through it with flying colours. She’s a real star.”
