A Llangian couple who set themselves a fundraising target of £500 for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Coronavirus Appeal have raised a staggering £1,350.

Gwenan and John Gruffydd donned their walking boots and walked 100 miles. Thanks to the public, they smashed their initial target and Gwenan, a social worker for the charity Y Bont in Penygroes, is delighted.

She said: “The walk went well. We managed to walk a little every day - we only missed one - and the walks varied between a mile or two to over nine miles.

“We stayed local at first because of the lockdown, but we ventured a little further afield after the rules were lifted, with a walk to Dyffryn Ardudwy for example, and our last walk to the top of the Garn, to finish on a high! We walked 116 miles over the course of the month and by today the total raised is £1,350 - and £213 gift aid which takes it over the £1,500 mark.

“We’ve received donations from over 70 people and we’re truly grateful to each and every one for their donation and their supportive messages. We hope the money make a difference to the lives of some people, and we hope that the walk helped raise awareness of the DEC’s work too.

“The JustGiving page is still open and the need for support is increasing, considering what’s happening in India at the moment.”

The money will be used by the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Coronavirus Appeal, which has been extended to include India as an additional country that will receive urgent life-saving humanitarian assistance to help the vulnerable as they face a coronavirus surge.

Casia Wiliam, originally from Nefyn, is external relations manager for the DEC in Wales. She said: “We have all seen the devastating images from India showing hospitals overrun and oxygen supplies falling short of demand, with thousands of people unable to receive potentially life-saving treatment.

Several cities have imposed lockdowns and curfews, which will have a knock-on effect for people’s livelihoods, with the poorest and most marginalised communities hit hardest.

“DEC member charities have a long history of working with these communities and are supporting overwhelmed health services by providing medical supplies, treatment facilities and logistics assistance. With the generous support of the UK public, we can do even more to help the most vulnerable communities as they face a life-or-death situation.”

To?donate, visit?www.dec.org.uk, call 0370 60 60 900, or send a cheque to DEC Coronavirus Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA. To donate £10 text SUPPORT to 70150.?Texts cost £10 and it all goes to the DEC CORONAVIRUS APPEAL. You must be 16 or over and please ask the bill payer’s permission. And you can still donate to Gwenan and John’s Walking Challenge. Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/gwenan-gruffydd