Pensarn dad of one, Simon Williams, has raised an impressive £1,540 in sponsorship for Noah’s Ark by competing in Iron Man 2015. He’s got a very personal reason for choosing the charity because his wife’s young cousin, Grace, was admitted to the hospital as an emergency over Christmas in 2014.
Simon signed up to Iron Man Wales as a personal challenge and really enjoyed the training. But, he admits, watching the total on his Just Giving page go up and up was certainly an added motivator. Pleased with completing the gruelling course in less than 14 hours, he was even more delighted to find that his fundraising page had more than exceeded his original £500 target.
He says: “When I started asking people to sponsor me I had £500 in my head as a reasonable amount to raise, so when the total kept creeping up and up, my wife Laura and I were shocked. We’re so pleased to be able to give something back to the hospital that provided Grace with such fantastic care. It’s great that we have a national children’s hospital for Wales and a relief as a parent to know that, if my own daughter was ill, she too could have the same level of specialist care if needed.”
Grace, who was five at the time, underwent a seven hour operation at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales after being admitted as an emergency on Christmas Day 2014. Grace had already undergone surgery for a burst appendix a few weeks earlier after she became ill while out shopping with her mum earlier that December.
Kelly says: “I would like to express my biggest thanks to the Noah’s Ark Hospital for Grace’s amazing care last year. Without them who know where Grace may have been. Simon’s effort with Iron Man Wales showed the amount of support that both Grace and I have had and he has raised an amazing amount of money for a wonderful hospital.”
