Swansea’s world champion Non Stanford may have her sights set on the Commonwealth triathlon title this summer but a group of young Denbighshire sports enthusiasts have already achieved their ambition.
The supporters of Bryneglwys Youth Club swam, ran and cycled their way through a gruelling “tri” session at Corwen Leisure Centre to raise money for their club.
The club was established just under two years ago to provide activities for local youngsters as the previous club closed five years ago.
But with entrance fees barely covering the running costs extra funds were need for equipment and other activities.
A cake stall was held in Corwen in December but the growing number of members decided they wanted to make a greater effort, so organiser Vona Law spoke to the manager of Corwen Leisure Centre Alex Roberts.
He said: “Jamie Groves, Denbighshire’s Head of Communication, Marketing and Leisure, was very keen to help and so we made sure that our facilities were made available to them.
“We also had qualified staff on duty to advise and supervise them,” said Alex. “It went very well and they should be proud of themselves.”
The eight youngsters – five boys and three girls – had exclusive access to the gym and pool on one evening in February and then the hard work began.
Sharing the disciplines among them, they swam a total of 2,000 metres, ran eight miles on treadmills and rode eight miles on exercise bikes.
They completed the unusual indoor triathlon in a little over 90 minutes, much quicker than expected, and as a result raised about £800.
The young athletes, aged from 13 to 16, wore T-shirts provided by two local firms, Ifor Williams Trailers, who have premises in nearby Cynwyd and Corwen, and Lelo Metals from Bryn Saith Marchog.
Ifor Williams Trailers also gave them a goody bag which included an Easter egg and a pen.
Rachel Law, 16, who was one of the team’s runners, said they had decided among themselves who should do which activity.
“I don’t normally do any sport but it was a fun thing to do,” she said. “Our target was £500 and we didn’t expect to raise £800.”
A prize was offered to the one raising the most money and collecting it within a couple of weeks and the prize – of a ticket to the Odeon cinema in Wrexham – went to Rachel.
Iorwerth Roberts, Ifor Williams Trailers’ sales manager, said they were pleased to be able to support such a worthwhile cause.
“The company receives countless requests for sponsorship and we try to support local organizations as much as we can. The Bryneglwys youngsters deserve our backing for working so hard,” he said.
Gary Jones, director of Lelo Metals, had a special reason for agreeing to sponsor the group.
“My family comes from Bryneglwys and my brothers, Shaun and Sam, are members of the youth club and enjoy all the activities provided,” he said.
The youngsters were rewarded for their efforts with another act of generosity when from Abul’s Spice in Corwen gave them a discount on their post event curry.
Club chairman Sharon Baines, a member of the local community council, said the £800 was a huge boost for the club, which currently meets in the Parish Room.
“We are very grateful to all our sponsors and for the wonderful support from the Leisure Centre staff, who were brilliant,” she said.
“The fundraising will continue and we are planning to hold a supper club, providing a two-course meal for local people every other month, while at the same time improving the members’ catering skills,” she said.
