Farmer Iestyn Meddins and fellow members of Côr Meibion Machynlleth are doing a mammoth 250-mile cycle ride in August to raise money for the Bronglais Chemo Appeal.

Iestyn, 45, is organising Le Tour de Côr to support his wife Dr Elin Jones, who is locum consultant oncologist at Bronglais Hospital and is the Clinical Lead for the planned new chemotherapy day unit.

At least 30 cyclists will be setting off on the four-day ride from Holyhead on Wednesday, 17 August, finishing in Cardiff on Saturday, 20 August.

The majority of those taking part will be members of the Machynlleth-based male voice choir but there will also be some friends and relatives along for the ride.

Iestyn, who is choir chairman, said: “My wife did a 10k back in 2018 for the chemotherapy unit and this inspired me and others to fulfil our own challenge whilst raising money for this amazing cause.

“It’s great that at least 30 of us, choir members and friends, have agreed to take on this challenge. We hope to average around 70 miles a day, much of it off-road on the National Cycle Route 8. Some of us are clocking up the miles in training once or twice a week at the moment, but we will need to step up the cycling as the time approaches.”

The ride was due to have been held in 2020 but has had to be postponed for two years because of the Covid--19 pandemic.

Iestyn hopes the four-day ride will raise £20,000 for the appeal, with around £10,000 already donated.

He added: “A new chemotherapy day unit for Bronglais Hospital will be hugely important for local people. It is so needed.”

Dr Elin said that there had been fantastic support for the Bronglais Chemo Appeal, with more than £103,000 raised already, and she and the staff were very thankful.

“We are so grateful for every penny that’s been donated to date. Whilst half a million pounds sounds like another mountain to climb, we can truly say at the end of this journey that it will be the patients’ unit and will remain theirs for as long as they need it,” added Dr Elin, who herself raised £18,000 for the unit when she ran the Abersoch 10k.

Dr Elin, Iestyn and their children, 16-year-old Mari and 12-year-old Tomos, live on a smallholding at Penegoes, near Machynlleth, and Iestyn has a sheep farm at Llanbrynmair.

To donate to Le Tour de Côr, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/iestynmeddins