The town of Bala has proved that it is top of the shots when it came to raising money for a children’s hospice.
Two pupils and two teachers from the area achieved perfect scores in the World Cup penalty shootout competition at the Ifor Williams Trailers stand at the Urdd National Eisteddfod.
The aim was to raise money for the Hope House/Tŷ Gobaith charity which needs to bring in £4 million a year to maintain their vital services for children with life-limiting conditions.
Ifor Williams Trailers designed a special football trailer which had a platform with holes, worth either 20 or 30 points.
The competition was open to schoolchildren and teachers who paid 50p for five footballs. The company has pledged to double the proceeds by matching however much is raised.
The prize for the top scoring pupil was an iPad with the winning teacher receiving £500 for their school.
In the event three schoolchildren and two teachers scored a maximum 150.
Ricky Wynn Rolands, 29, a teaching assistant at Ysgol Ffridd y Llyn, and Ysgol Bro Tegid teacher Owain Williams, 29, agreed to share the prize, bagging £250 each for their respective schools.
Ricky, who is a striker for Clwb Pel-droed Llanuwchlyn, said: “I’ve had a chat with the head teacher Sian Jones, and we’ve decided to buy a new football kit and some balls for the children.
Owain who teaches year 5 and 6 pupils, and also plays on the wing for Clwb Pel-droed Llanuwchlyn, said: “We’re going to get a new cabinet to hold the school’s trophies.
“The school is having quite a bit of success in sport at the moment, so football, netball, and athletics. There is a good crew at the school.”
The names of the three top-scoring pupils went into a hat and the overall winner was Owen Jones, nine, from Cardiff, who won the iPad.
The Ysgol Treganna pupil, supports Wrexham FC, and scored 29 for Clwb Pel Droed Urdd Caerdydd under 9s last season, making him the top scorer in the league.
He said: “I’m very happy because I never thought that I would win the iPad because a lot of children took part in the competition. I am going to use the iPad to play games and take pictures.
“It is important to help the children at Ty Gobaith because they suffer from serious illnesses.”
Meanwhile, Ysgol y Berwyn pupil Dion Owen Jones, 12, and his friend Cai Aykroyd, 11, a pupiol at Ysgol Bro Tegid, netted an official World Cup football each.
Cai, who likes to play on the wing like his favourite player Adnan Januzaj, plays football at junior level for Bala Town FC, and supports Manchester United.
He said: “There was a bit of tension when we were playing because there was a bit of a competition between me and my friend. We’re very good friends, and I enjoyed the competition and awful lot.
Goalkeeper Dion, who also plays for Bala, and supports arch rivals Liverpool, said: “I feel very happy about winning this ball. It looks fantastic, and I’m looking forward to playing with it.
Ifor Williams Trailers Shift Leader Gerallt Parry, said: “The competition was extremely successful. The trailer didn’t stop going up and down throughout the whole week. These guys have all done very well. They’re all local lads.
“I feel incredibly proud that lads from the area have done so well, especially since the Eisteddfod was here as well.
“Ty Gobaith is a very important cause because they help children who are ill, and it gives respite to parents.
“It’s essential for people who look after somebody who can’t look after themselves around the clock to get the respite. It can be a strain mentally and physically.
“Ifor Williams Trailers have held a number of fundraisers for Ty Gobaith over the years. We even built a trailer on top of Snowdon a few years ago, and auctioned it off in aid of Ty Gobaith.”
Graduate Design Engineer at Ifor Williams Trailers Geraint Williams added: “I think the support we’ve had from the public for this is absolutely amazing. It was always busy during the Eisteddfod. It was a big hit.
“It makes me feel very proud to be working for Ifor Williams Trailers, who are not only world renowned for making fantastic trailers but also rooted in the community, and raise money for causes like Ty Gobaith. They employ people in the community and bring money from all over the world into North Wales.”
Hope House Children’s Hospices has two hospices, Hope House near Oswestry and Tŷ Gobaith in the Conwy Valley which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
The charity is currently helping more than 500 families from across North and Mid Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire.
Tŷ Gobaith fund-raiser Eluned Yaxley is thrilled that Ifor Williams Trailers is supporting them in such a novel way.
She said: “It’s a momentous year for us and we are absolutely thrilled that Ifor Williams Trailers are supporting us once again. It’s absolutely wonderful for us.
“We have a mountain and a half to climb in terms of raising money – we need £1 million for Tŷ Gobaith alone every year so we depend on fantastic supporters and friends such as Ifor Williams Trailers and others throughout the area.
“All the children we care for, from birth to 19, have life-limiting or terminal illnesses and we also work with, and support, bereaved families who may be struggling to come to terms with the death of a child.
“The service we provide is vital for the families we care for – it’s not just respite and terminal care that we provide. We also provide outreach services in the community as well as offering trauma support for the wider community.
“We are a lifeline for these families – we’re there when people need us most, 24/7 throughout the year.”
