A group of friends from Ceredigion have completed the Welsh Three Peaks challenge in under 15 hours to raise cash for medical teams in memory of their friend.

Dylan Parry, Dafydd Williams, James Williams, Carrie Hermitage, Tony Davies, Mark Lloyd, Eurig Davies, Chris Hill and Gareth Thomas all took on Pen y Fan, Cadair Idris and Snowdon in memory of their close friend Richard Evans who sadly passed away following treatment for cancer.

The group raised more than £15,000 for the Acute Response Team, Community Response Team and District Nursing Team in Ceredigion. Dylan Parry said: “We started the challenge on 15 September 2023 completed it in 14 hours 15 minutes.

“We all found the experience very challenging and emotional.

“We wanted to show our appreciation for the district nurses who took care of Richard at home.

“This type of care is very important in rural Wales and Richard was very thankful for the home visits that he received.

“We would like to thank everyone who donated money to this important cause, the response was amazing.

“A special thank you and mention to the individuals and companies that sponsored our challenge: The Hive Aberaeron, E&M Motor Factor, JWR Rallying, TD Tyres Recycling, MSD, I&E Davies Civil Engineering, Station Self Drive, Eugene Mason, Chris Hill.

“Thank you to our dedicated bus driver and to our families for their support pre- and post- climb.

“Without this help we would not have been able to do the challenge.”

The team presented staff with a cheque for £15,179 earlier this month.

Sian Owen Lewis, Clinical Lead Nurse, said: “Many thanks to Richard's family and friends who went above and beyond to raise this amazing sum of money for Ceredigion Community Nurses and Acute Response Team.

“The funding will support us to deliver care to patients within their own homes to avoid hospital admission and support discharge from hospital.

“The nursing team is extremely grateful for this donation, and humbled to have been able to support Richard and his family during his illness."

Bridget Harpwood, Ceredigion Fundraising Officer, said: “What an incredible amount raised.

“Thank you for taking on such a massive challenge in memory of Richard.

“The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”