THE Noah’s Ark Appeal had a fantastic 2011, with one Mid Wales town raising more than £17,000 for the priceless services at Cardiff Children’s Hospital.
The Llanidloes fundraisers alone have now collected a staggering £117,000 for the cause.
It all started in the year 2000, explained chairman and Mid Wales ambassador Les Jones.
“My late wife Jean started it,” said Les, who lives in Llanidloes.
“She was a nursing sister and she loved children. The first main donation of £2,000 came from her funeral and we presented the cheque to Ian Botham in 2002 in Machynlleth, as he was doing the Across Wales Walk.
“I wanted to continue where she started,” Les said. “We had fantastic support then, and we still do.”
This year, the fundraising efforts kicked off in style in May, with a 12-and-a-half mile sponsored walk led by Les, who was also awarded a Silver Kite Award for community work from Powys County Council.
There were also nine-and-a-half mile and six mile alternatives to allow even more people to take part.
This was the sixth year that the walks had taken place and a cheque for £3,000 was presented to the hospital, which had been match-funded by Barclays Bank.
Then, in the summer, the Noah’s Ark Appeal sponsored walkers who pulled on their boots once more in order to raise vital funds for the cause.
A determined group of six set out from the Royal Head, in Llanidloes at 8am on Friday, July 22 for their destination: Aberystwyth.
The group included Julian King, Robbie Bebb, Ananda Collins, Robert Hughes, John Bavistock, and Gareth Kirk, ready for the walk through any kind of weather.
In September, the Llanidloes under-13s wore a Noah’s Ark strip as they met to play a strong side from Trewern. Ben Reeve was voted player of the year for the previous season and Les presented him with a cup.
Later, in October, the rugby club on Smithfield Street was buzzing with activity as a talented cast were introduced by Janet Williams and presentations were made to the Children's Hospital of Wales.
Local people had been extremely busy collecting money, and a substantial cheque for £10,525 was presented by five-year-old Kieran Hamer, who had been successfully treated for a brain tumour six weeks earlier at the Children's Hospital in Cardiff.
Kieran’s cheque represented donations from Llanidloes Boys who raised £1,134 on a sponsored walk from Llanidloes to Aberystwyth, and the primary school, which collected £1,000 with a splish-splash sponsored swim, as well as many others.
This brought the year’s total to £17,000 and the grand total since the Noah's Ark Committee started collecting of £117,000 overall.
For the size of the area, the Llanidloes group has been told it is the best in Wales, Les said.
“We’ve been able to buy a bladder scanner, a heart machine, two lung machines, an £11,000 trolley for transporting children to and from their homes with emergency equipment underneath - even an entire family ward. They all have plaques on, saying ‘from the people of Llanidloes’.”
Lyn Jones, chairman of the national Noah's Ark Appeal, thanked Les and all Montgomeryshire fundraisers for their hard work.
“We cannot thank Les and the community of Llanidloes enough for their loyal and continuous support. Their monumental fundraising has been vital in supporting the work of The Noah's Ark Appeal. Their dedication and spirit are inspiring.”
It was recently announced that a second £63.8m phase of the Children's Hospital has been given the go-ahead.
The Welsh Government has pledged funding for new wards, critical care facilities and four operating theatres. Health officials said it was a final step in a decade of work by health managers, government and fundraisers.
An outpatient department, a critical care unit and radiology department will also be created. Work will begin immediately and is expected to be completed by 2015.