A teenager from Dolgellau has raised over £1,000 for charity by completing four round trips of Snowdon in 24 hours.

Gabriel McKenzie, 19, started his impressive 24-hour solo challenge at 6pm on Wednesday, 4 June with one aim – to raise as much as possible to buy a defibrillator for Dolgellau.

Speaking to the ‘Cambrian News’ just hours before the challenge began, Gabriel said: “I start the walk at 6pm tonight and I’m aiming to do four round trips of Snowdon on my own with a cut off time of 6pm tomorrow night.

“I’m doing it to raise money for the Dolgellau defibrillator fund.

“There have been quite a few incidents in town when people have been caught short without a defibrillator, and it’s a life-saving piece of equipment. I think it’s important to have one.”

This is not the first fundraising challenge kind-hearted Gabriel has set himself.

He previously took part in the Three Peaks Challenge (in October last year) to raise money for the mental health charity, MIND.

“I did that in 22 hours,” said Gabriel.

“I fancied another challenge and wanted to do something for the local community, so that’s why I decided to walk Snowdon for the local defibrillator fund.”

Gabriel, who moved from Kent to Dolgellau in 2022, hoped to raise £1,000, “but it costs £2,000 for the defibrillator so it would be great to raise as much money as possible,” he added.

Prior to his 24-hour challenge, Gabriel had raised around £700. This has since shot up to £1,025.

Speaking after the event, Gabriel said: “I managed to complete all four trips in around 22-and-a-half hours.

“It was raining the whole time which made it a little bit harder but it was a success.”

If you would like to donate, visit https://shorturl.at/5dq4e