A seven-day walk to raise money for Wales’ only children’s hospital will start in Machynlleth and take in Llanidloes in order to honour one of its ambassadors and a local young patient with a brain tumour.

The Noah’s Ark Charity is calling on the people of Powys to join its Great Welsh Walk this May as it journeys through the length of the county.

Starting in Machynlleth on Saturday, 11 May, and ending in Cardiff on Friday, 17 May, the route will follow Glyndwr’s Way through Llanidloes to Llangurig before joining the Wye Valley Path to Llyswen at the end of the fourth day.

Along the route, walkers will be joined by families who have benefited from the hospital’s care, like Kieran Hamer from Llanidloes, who has been a patient of the children’s hospital since being diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of five.

And the walk has been specifically designed to travel through Llanidloes in honour, and to give thanks to, the town’s resident Les Jones MBE.

Les is an ambassador of the charity and has raised many thousands of pounds in support of the children’s hospital over the years.

From Llyswen, walkers will then take on the Brecon Beacons before leaving Powys on the final journey through Caerphilly to Cardiff.

Each day is a walking challenge within itself with a marked beginning and end point, giving people the opportunity to take part for a day, the whole week or anything in between.

For more information on the Great Welsh Walk, including an interactive route map and information on how to register, visit www.noahsarcharity.org/greatwelshwalk.

See this week’s Machynlleth & Llanidloes paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now