Pwllheli fundraiser, Karen Rees Roberts has raised over £4000 for charity by completing the London virtual marathon.

Kind-hearted Karen, who has raised money for charities for years has chosen Scope and local children’s cancer charity, Gafael Llaw, to benefit this year.

She had been training for the London Marathon, which had been due to take place in April.

Like many events, it was postponed because of the coronavirus and a virtual event took place on 4 October instead.

On one of the wettest and windiest days of 2020, Karen and her family braved the elements, hiking 26.2-mile around the Ll?n Peninsula.

Despite the weather, Karen had a great day.

“I was disappointed not being able to run the marathon as planned in April. However, the virtual marathon was a new and different experience for me and what was great was having my family with me, keeping me company along the way. We had a really good day.

“Although my fundraising plans we’re effected by the pandemic - for example we had to cancel some events we had planned for March - I’m really proud of the amount raised.

“Friends, family and the Pwllheli community came together, once again showing their kindness and generosity.

“Thank you for supporting me and two important charities.

“I’m hoping to apply for a place again and actually run the marathon in London next time!”

Karen was keen to raise money for Scope, as well as Gwynedd-based charity, Gafael Llaw.

A friend told her about Gafael Llaw, which supports local children and young people with cancer, improving services and facilities.

Gafael Llaw Chairman, Iwan Trefor Jones said: “We’re really grateful to Karen and the people of Pwllheli for their support. We support children and families living in Gwynedd and Anglesey so it’s great to see Gafael Llaw growing and becoming known in new areas of the county.

“It’s been a challenging year, with numerous events cancelled, but thanks to people like Karen we have been able to continue supporting Ysbyty Gwynedd and Alder Hey hospital.

“We’ve provided specially designed PPE for staff, gifts packs for young patients and 15 laptops which enabled Alder Hey staff to work from home, continuing their care and support for North Wales patients throughout the pandemic.”