A MACHYNLLETH sheep farmer who sheared more than 700 lambs in just nine hours has handed over cheques to three charities close to his heart.

Geraint Jones, of Melin Byrhedyn Farm, Barhedyn, raised almost £12,000 after he sheared 715 lambs in 12 hours, which included three one-hour breaks, between 5am and 5pm on Thursday, 3 August, as reported in the Cambrian News last week.

Geraint has now handed over three cheques for £3,906 to Apêl Seren, Northwest Cancer Research and the Wales Air Ambulance.

Apêl Seren is a fund set up to help pay for continuing care for eight-year-old Derwenlas schoolgirl Seren Hughes, who has lived with ‘complex uncontrolled epilepsy’ since she was just one day old.

Seren’s parents Ruth and Hefin, formerly of Cwmystwyth, are close to Geraint and his family, including wife Laura and daughters Ania and Mared, with Hefin helping out on the farm regularly.

Geraint said he wanted to raise money for Northwest Cancer Research after his mother, Audrey Jones, was diagnosed with lymphoma, a form of cancer.

And Geraint wanted to support the Wales Air Ambulance after it helped his friend and fellow farmer Rhys Lewis, who was left paralysed after a tree felling accident in 2014, and his grandmother who broke her hip and had to be airlifted to hospital.

Wales Air Ambulance community co-ordinator Diana Rowlands said: “We would like to thank Geraint for his fantastic fundraising effort.

“His support will help fund life-saving missions. Geraint is a shining example of how creative fund-raising for Wales Air Ambulance can be.

“We would also like to thank the local community for supporting Geraint and helping keep our helicopters flying for the people of Wales.”

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