A HARLECH farmer has raised £23,000 for charity after shearing more than 1,000 sheep in 24 hours in a gruelling fund-raiser.

After seven months of arduous training, Arfon Pugh took on the challenge of a 24-hour shearathon in July. Initially he hoped to raise an impressive £10,000, but more than doubled that sum after collecting all his donations which amounted to a staggering £23,000.

Arfon, who held the event at Merthyr farm, Harlech, was raising money for cancer charity Tenovus in memory of his friend Gwynfor ‘John’ Williams who passed away in 2014 due to the cruel disease.

The 28-year-old had originally hoped to shear approximately 900 sheep in 24 hours – one every minute and a half or so – but ended up clipping over 1,000 sheep in 22 hours.

He then sheared another 30 or so after that to make it up to the 24-hour mark.

Through donations online, sponsorship forms and money raised between from a raffle, auction and several other fund-raising events, the total raised has exceeded the £10,000 mark, all in memory of “a much-missed member of the community”­.

An emotional Arfon said: “Everyone has donated so kindly, it’s just amazing what people have done, it means a lot to me.

“Gwynfor was very much a massive part of the community and did a lot to help others, this is my way to thank him for what he did.”See this week's north editions for the full story, in shops and online now