A banana, a carrot and over 60 Cartrefi Conwy tenants will put their best foot forward on the Conwy Fun Run this month to raise money for a worthy local charity.
The one-mile Fun Run, sponsored by Cartrefi Conwy, is part of the Conwy Half Marathon, organised by Run Wales, which takes place in the town on Sunday, November 24.
It starts beneath the historic walls of the castle, on the quayside at Conwy, and follows a route round the town – while the half marathon runners head off towards Llandudno and the Great Orme.
Nerys Veldhuizen, Older Persons Co-ordinator for Cartrefi Conwy, will be dressed as a banana while her colleague Cate Jones-Hughes, Warden of Pentre Neuadd Sheltered Housing, will be a carrot and other fun runners will also be in fancy dress as they raise money for St David’s Hospice, Llandudno.
Nerys, said: “Cate and I are part of your five a day fruit and vegetables and we are participating in the Fun Run to promote health and well-being to our tenants and to encourage them to take part.
“You can jog, walk or run your way through the route and so far over 60 tenants and colleagues have signed up which is great and more than 20 of those are over 55s and for many of them it’s the first time they’ve been part of this event.
“But anyone can take part – entry is £5 for individual runners or £10 for a family of four – and it’s a really enjoyable event. The first 150 fun runners receive a T- shirt, goody bag and medal.
“This is the fifth year of the Half-Marathon and the third year we have been involved and it’s going from strength to strength and is already the second most popular Half-Marathon in Wales.”
Two of those who will be donning their tracksuits and trainers for the Fun Run are Elaine Davis and Lynn Ward, residents of Parkway Sheltered Housing, in Rhos on Sea, who have been in training for the event.
Lynn said: “I’ve been walking the dog for a mile each day so it’s doing me some good and him as well but it’s a very good idea and our Warden, Christine Bradley, was very persuasive about taking part.”
Elaine added: “I will hope to walk part of the way and jog part and if allowed I’ll be bringing my dog with me to encourage me and for some exercise as well. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
Nerys added: “The Fun Run is part of what we do to encourage our tenants to be healthy and active and as an added incentive the sheltered housing scheme that collects the most money for our local charity, St David’s Hospice, will be rewarded with a slap-up Christmas buffet lunch courtesy of Cartrefi Conwy.
“We’ll also be collecting for our charity along the route and hope many spectators donate to help with our fundraising efforts.
“The health and well-being of our tenants is one of the themes of my role as Older Persons Co-ordinator. I’m also involved in supporting older people to identify and enhance their skills and highlight the importance of getting involved in shaping our policies and choosing the way they would like Cartrefi Conwy to operate.”
Anyone interested in more information about the Fun Run and how to take part can contact Cartrefi Conwy’s Communications Department on 0300 124 0040.
