THOUSANDS of pounds have been raised for terminally-ill children following a paddling extravaganza on the Mawddach Estuary.

Members of the Merioneth Yacht Club and the Mawddach Paddlesport Festival presented Ty Gobaith/Hope House Children’s Hospice with a cheque for an amazing £3,000.

The amount was the proceeds of the Paddlefest during July.

The event, now in its sixth year, is organised by Merioneth Yacht Club and takes in a range of paddling events over the weekend.

This year there was over 100 paddlers during the two days with rafts taking part in both Saturday and Sunday challenges.

There were also ‘have a go’ sessions in the harbour and stalls and exhibitions on the harbour quayside.

This year the cheque was presented by MYC junior members Jaya Baker-Scott, Kyla Pocock-Scott and Sebastian Courtney.

Senior fundraiser Eluned Yaxley, who accepted the cheque on behalf of Ty Gobaith, said: “Once again I cannot thank the organisers of this event enough.

“What an amazing amount for us.”

Thanks also went to the local outdoor activity centre’s for the loan of their equipment and all the supporters who made the weekend so successful. Without their support the Mawddach Paddlefest could not give hope to so many young people in need.

The surplus amount raised during the weekend will go to local good causes as with last year when monies were used to buy a heart defibrillator for the Barmouth quayside and to provide a local youngster with help to buy a state of the art prosthetic limb.

See this week’s north editions, in shops and online on Thursday