Latest news with #NorthWalesChronicle
Rhyl Journal
4 days ago
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
Reporter Arron Evans to take on walk for Ronald McDonald House charity
Arron Evans, from Anglesey, works as a Digital Reporter for The Leader, covering stories in Flintshire and Wrexham. During his eight-and-a-half years working as a journalist, he has also worked for the North Wales Chronicle, North Wales Pioneer, Rhyl Journal and Denbighshire Free Press. On April 20 of last year, Arron's and wife Georgina's son Ffredi was born at Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital in Bangor. Although it looked as though he was initially doing really well, it later became apparent that his bowel was not working as it should be. After two days, Ffredi was transferred to Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool and over the course of eight days he was treated by the incredible surgical and neonatal teams in neonatal ICU. He was then diagnosed with Hirschsprungs - a rare congenital disease that affects around 200 babies and children a year in the UK (1 in 5,000). For Ffredi and other children with Hirschsprungs disease, their large intestine doesn't work in the way it should, meaning that the bowel can become blocked and result in a very serious infection. In August of last year, Ffredi underwent surgery at Alder Hey Hospital, where he was fitted with a stoma. Since then, the family has been back and fourth between Anglesey and Liverpool as Ffredi has appointments and has dealt with various illnesses. To show their appreciation for the hospital's support, the family organised a charity football match, which raised over £2,000. Now, it is the turn of the Ronald McDonald House Charities to benefit from their fundraising. On Sunday, September 14, Arron and friend Jacob Sznober will be walking from South Stack (Holyhead) to Penmon Lighthouse on Anglesey - a distance of around 34 miles. They are aiming to raise £1,000 through their fundraiser, which can be donated to here. Arron said: "After raising over £2,200 for Alder Hey last year with a charity football match, I thought this time around it was important to highlight the great work being done by the Ronald McDonald team. "When my son Ffredi was born in April 2024, he was taken to Alder Hey soon after, and we soon discovered that he had a rare condition called Hirschsprung's Disease. Arron and friend Jacob Sznober will be taking on the epic walk in September. (Image: Newsquest) "While there, I was referred to the 'Mac House' which is located just yards away from the hospital in Liverpool. "That provided a free 'home away from home' accommodation to myself and to many other families with children having treatment at the hospital, helping to, in my case, ease the financial burden of making a four-hour round trip home and back day after day. "I have since stayed there many times while my son has received continuous treatment at Alder Hey and the team there have been nothing short of brilliant every time. "The work they do can often go under the radar - with houses offering much more than just a place to stay. They provide family activities, peer support, respite, and many other services. "This means that families can be by their child's bedside in a matter of moments, whilst maintaining a degree of normal life with reduced emotional and financial strain. "They help 6,000 families each year and now, more than ever, they need support. That's why I am supporting Ronald McDonald House this time around. Any donations would be greatly received!"
Leader Live
4 days ago
- Health
- Leader Live
Reporter Arron Evans to take on walk for Ronald McDonald House charity
Arron Evans, from Anglesey, works as a Digital Reporter for The Leader, covering stories in Flintshire and Wrexham. During his eight-and-a-half years working as a journalist, he has also worked for the North Wales Chronicle, North Wales Pioneer, Rhyl Journal and Denbighshire Free Press. On April 20 of last year, Arron's and wife Georgina's son Ffredi was born at Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital in Bangor. Although it looked as though he was initially doing really well, it later became apparent that his bowel was not working as it should be. After two days, Ffredi was transferred to Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool and over the course of eight days he was treated by the incredible surgical and neonatal teams in neonatal ICU. He was then diagnosed with Hirschsprungs - a rare congenital disease that affects around 200 babies and children a year in the UK (1 in 5,000). For Ffredi and other children with Hirschsprungs disease, their large intestine doesn't work in the way it should, meaning that the bowel can become blocked and result in a very serious infection. In August of last year, Ffredi underwent surgery at Alder Hey Hospital, where he was fitted with a stoma. Since then, the family has been back and fourth between Anglesey and Liverpool as Ffredi has appointments and has dealt with various illnesses. To show their appreciation for the hospital's support, the family organised a charity football match, which raised over £2,000. Now, it is the turn of the Ronald McDonald House Charities to benefit from their fundraising. On Sunday, September 12, Arron and friend Jacob Sznober will be walking from South Stack (Holyhead) to Penmon Lighthouse on Anglesey - a distance of around 34 miles. They are aiming to raise £1,000 through their fundraiser, which can be donated to here. Arron said: "After raising over £2,200 for Alder Hey last year with a charity football match, I thought this time around it was important to highlight the great work being done by the Ronald McDonald team. "When my son Ffredi was born in April 2024, he was taken to Alder Hey soon after, and we soon discovered that he had a rare condition called Hirschsprung's Disease. Arron and friend Jacob Sznober will be taking on the epic walk in September. (Image: Newsquest) "While there, I was referred to the 'Mac House' which is located just yards away from the hospital in Liverpool. "That provided a free 'home away from home' accommodation to myself and to many other families with children having treatment at the hospital, helping to, in my case, ease the financial burden of making a four-hour round trip home and back day after day. "I have since stayed there many times while my son has received continuous treatment at Alder Hey and the team there have been nothing short of brilliant every time. Read more "The work they do can often go under the radar - with houses offering much more than just a place to stay. They provide family activities, peer support, respite, and many other services. "This means that families can be by their child's bedside in a matter of moments, whilst maintaining a degree of normal life with reduced emotional and financial strain. "They help 6,000 families each year and now, more than ever, they need support. That's why I am supporting Ronald McDonald House this time around. Any donations would be greatly received!"
North Wales Chronicle
21-07-2025
- Climate
- North Wales Chronicle
Eryri and Yr Wyddfa high-profile races halted mid-event
Event organisers Always Aim High Events and XTERRA made the decision to halt all trail running races at 12.25pm on Saturday, July 12, due to what they described as 'extreme' weather conditions. Races had begun as early as 6.30am and included the 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultra Marathon, Yr Wyddfa | Snowdon24, and the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship. The XTERRA World Championship was being held as part of the XTERRA Snowdonia Trail Marathon Eryri on July 11 and 12. The race is the flagship finale of the Trail Run World Series, with an inclusive trail festival in Wales' outdoor capital. Meanwhile, The Black Diamond Yr Wyddfa | Snowdon24 is a gruelling 24-hour endurance challenge in which participants attempt to ascend and descend Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) as many times as possible within a single day. MORE NEWS: 17-foot speedboat off Bangor Pier ends up as sunken wreck 25-year-old from Caernarfon who died after fall from Malta hotel balcony named In a statement released on July 12, Llangefni-based Always Aim High Events - known for delivering some of the UK's premier triathlon, cycling, and running events, said: "We regret to inform you that today's race - including the 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultra distances, and the Yr Wyddfa | Snowdon24 event - has been stopped. "Due to extreme temperatures, it is no longer safe to continue with the event. "All runners are currently being safely escorted off the mountain by our event staff and mountain leader team. "Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of all participants. Please bear with us as we focus on ensuring everyone returns safely. "Thank you for your understanding." The statement attracted mixed comments from participant. One person wrote: "Tough call to make but [the] right one in these temps I'd say." Another said: "Having been involved with MR for many years, carrying someone off the hill in the very hot conditions is a monumental task, so having an event cancelled would have taken some pressure of teams. Many of them are doing 100 plus incidents a year, and any help they can get can only help. Anyone who disagrees can always try carrying someone off the hill in this heat!" Another commented: "Yes it's a hot day but an intelligent athlete who has trained for ultra distance generally knows how to self manage and pace according to conditions. I firmly believe that the 24 hour runners should not have had their event cancelled at the point at that it was. I could have happily accepted a decision to hold athletes back for a few hours to allow the temps to come down." Another said: "Should never have started." One person taking part in the championship event voiced his anger and disappointment that the race had been cancelled due to the heat. He also outlined other dangers. The participant, from Malta, told the North Wales Chronicle: "I competed in the Xterra world Championships on Saturday. It was one of several races. All were cancelled due to extreme heat but I believe the major reason was because the organizer was not prepared and didn't have any 'plan B.' "It's a big pity to cancel a world championships with so many athletes travelling from across the world to be here. "I came from Malta. There were around 15 more athletes from Malta participating in different races by Xterra in the same day." Other racers travelled from as far as Australia, New Zealand, China and USA. Always Aim High Events told the Chronicle and its coastal titles that "the safety of all participants, volunteers and race support staff is the number one priority for the event organisers and the decision was taken following consultation with the incident management and health and safety teams." Many runners in the 10k and Half Marathon successfully completed their races before the cancellation was announced at 12.25pm. They added that all major stakeholders were "promptly" informed, and participants were supported in making a safe descent and return to the event village, where welfare checks and final confirmations were conducted. Extreme weather protocols were implemented following a review by the event's medical director the day before the race. "Detailed" safety briefings were also delivered to competitors prior to the start of the events. Matt Newman, Chief Executive of Always Aim High Events, said: "We would like to thank all participants and our incredible event support team for their patience, resilience, and understanding. Having delivered this race in Llanberis for the past ten years, we are deeply saddened to have had to halt the event. "The safety of our participants has always been our top priority, and we made the decision to halt the races to ensure everyone was brought down from the mountain safely." The course has since been thoroughly swept by the mountain safety team.
