Ystrad Mynach gym in 24-hour relay for Ronald McDonald House
Runners from Evolution Gym in Ystrad Mynach took part in a 24-hour relay raising funds for Ronald McDonald House.
The charity provides free home-away-from-home accommodation and support to families whilst their children are having treatment in hospital.
The 22 members taking part divided themselves into teams of four, with each person running one mile before tagging in the next one.
The event got underway at 10am on Saturday, with the final leg being run 24 hours later.
Julie and Greg Turley organised the 24-hour relay at Evolution Fitness. (Image: Tom Moody)
Organiser Julie Turley said: 'We've got a family member that's recently used the charity.
'We heard about their story and thought it was a great charity to support.
'The gym is very community based. We support a lot projects.
'A lot of people at the gym, especially through Covid, struggled with their mental health.
'This gym has been a lifesaver.
'It's almost like a safe space.
Members of Evolution Fitness took part in the 24-hour relay. (Image: Tom Moody)
'We're all going to pull each other through and support each other. We're so blessed that we're raising all this money for charity and that's what's going to keep us going.
'We've got a mix of people of all abilities who intend on walking a mile right through to some people who are going to try and set a bit of a record.'
Kezia Edwards and her son Floki came along to support the runners.
Their family, from Machen, stayed at Ronald McDonald House for between a month and six weeks when Floki was kept in the ICU in Cardiff after he was born.
Kezia Edwards and her son Floki came to support the runners. (Image: Tom Moody)
'That we were staying close was such a godsend,' Ms Edwards said. 'We were able to be right next to his incubator.
'It was like a home away from home.
'It's a massive stress relief that we didn't have to leave him. Even just the thought of going home every day without our baby. It was supposed to be the happiest time of our lives.
'Without those rooms being sponsored, we would have potentially had to go home to an empty house without our baby for six weeks.'
The first runners set off on the opening leg of the 24-hour relay. (Image: Tom Moody)
'I know people who have used the charity so for me and for them it was an important thing to support,' said Jason Jones.
'We're always doing fun events like this. We make them fun too, and raise money for a good cause.'
'We try and do something every year,' said Paul Jessop.
'Believe it or not, we're doing a class afterwards on Sunday!'
After completing their challenge, the group has raised more than £3,000.
You can find out more, or donate if you are able to, at justgiving.com/page/julie-turley-2
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
World Health Organisation admits they STILL have no idea what caused Covid pandemic – but refuses to rule out lab leak
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A LEADING theory that the Covid pandemic originated from a lab leak in China cannot be ruled out, the World Health Organisation said. A team of experts set up by the WHO in 2021 to investigate Covid's origins said 'all hypotheses remain on the table' - while also accusing Beijing of not giving up critical information. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 China's Wuhan lab has been at the centre of the lab leak theory since Covid emerged just miles from the facility 7 Staff members line up at attention as they prepare to spray disinfectant at Wuhan Railway Station 7 Dr Shi Zhengli - dubbed 'Batwoman' for her research on bat coronaviruses - at the Wuhan Institute of Virology The Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (Sago) said on Friday that most data suggests the idea that the virus jumped from animals to humans. This is the same conclusion the WHO came to in 2021. Watch the documentary in full on our YouTube channel here Their new report made the bombshell claim that a lab leak theory should "not be ruled out". But they added: "Nor can it be proven until more information is provided." Group chair Marietjie Venter said after three years of investigating, they were unable to come to a certain conclusion of the pandemic's origins. They blasted China for not releasing all necessary data to determine Covid's creation - despite hundreds of requests for genetic sequences and biosecurity information to the government. She Venter: "Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded. "It was deemed to be very speculative, based on political opinions and not backed up by science." Venter said the 27-member group could not reach a unanimous conclusion on Covid's origins, following one member's resignation earlier this week. Three other scientists also asked for their names to be removed from the new report. I was in Oval Office with Trump at start of pandemic - no one was closer to Chinese officials than me & I believe Covid was engineered in lab Covid-19 emerged just eight miles from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Scientists there had been importing and manipulating bat coronaviruses and had been filmed handling animals with inadequate protection. Venter added that there was no evidence proving Covid was created in a lab, nor was there any indication it was spreading before December 2019 anywhere outside of China. She said: "Until more scientific data becomes available, the origins of how SARS-CoV-2 entered human populations will remain inconclusive." Beijing has consistently refused to release full details about the lab in Wuhan, despite repeated requests for information from multiple countries. 7 A woman wearing a face mask holds a baby that wears a protective shield in Wuhan 7 The P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan Credit: AFP 7 Covid killed millions worldwide in the pandemic It comes after The Sun's explosive Covid lab leak documentary laid bare the mounting evidence and disturbing questions surrounding the virus's emergence in Wuhan - home to China's most secretive bio-research facility. In April, the US unveiled a bombshell new web page on the origins of Covid, blaming the Wuhan Institute of Virology for unleashing the killer virus. And in a fresh propaganda push, Beijing insisted "substantial evidence" showed Covid "might have emerged in the United States earlier than its officially-claimed timeline, and earlier than the outbreak in China". The document - titled Covid-19 Prevention, Control and Origins Tracing: China's Actions and Stance - was released via China's official Xinhua news agency. It unashamedly accused the US of "indifference and delayed actions" during the global Covid fight - and of scapegoating China to deflect from its own "mismanaged" response. It wrote: "The US has made China the primary scapegoat for its own mismanaged COVID-19 response." 7 Security guards keep watch outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology The report added that America was 'spreading misinformation' and wasted 'precious time China had secured for the global fight against the pandemic". It revived Beijing's long-standing claims that it shared information with the world in a "timely manner". The paper added: 'The US should not continue to 'pretend to be deaf and dumb', but should respond to the legitimate concerns of the international community.' In May Donald Trump banned all US funding for risky virus research in China and beyond, five years after Covid-19 upended the planet. The US President said in the Oval Office last month: 'I said that right from day one it leaked out — whether it was to the girlfriend or somebody else, [a] scientist walked outside to have lunch with the girlfriend or was together with a lot of people — but that's how it leaked out in my opinion."
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
World Health Organisation admits they STILL have no idea what caused Covid pandemic – but refuses to rule out lab leak
A LEADING theory that the Covid pandemic originated from a lab leak in China cannot be ruled out, the World Health Organisation said. A team of experts set up by the WHO in 2021 to investigate Covid's origins said 'all hypotheses remain on the table' - while also accusing Beijing of not giving up critical information. 7 7 7 The Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (Sago) said on Friday that most data suggests the idea that the virus jumped from animals to humans. This is the same conclusion the WHO came to in 2021. Watch the documentary in full on our YouTube channel here Their new report made the bombshell claim that a lab leak theory should "not be ruled out". But they added: "Nor can it be proven until more information is provided." Group chair Marietjie Venter said after three years of investigating, they were unable to come to a certain conclusion of the pandemic's origins. They blasted China for not releasing all necessary data to determine Covid's creation - despite hundreds of requests for genetic sequences and biosecurity information to the government. She Venter: "Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded. "It was deemed to be very speculative, based on political opinions and not backed up by science." Venter said the 27-member group could not reach a unanimous conclusion on Covid's origins, following one member's resignation earlier this week. Three other scientists also asked for their names to be removed from the new report. I was in Oval Office with Trump at start of pandemic - no one was closer to Chinese officials than me & I believe Covid was engineered in lab Covid-19 emerged just eight miles from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Scientists there had been importing and manipulating bat coronaviruses and had been filmed handling animals with inadequate protection. Venter added that there was no evidence proving Covid was created in a lab, nor was there any indication it was spreading before December 2019 anywhere outside of China. She said: "Until more scientific data becomes available, the origins of how SARS-CoV-2 entered human populations will remain inconclusive." Beijing has consistently refused to release full details about the lab in Wuhan, despite repeated requests for information from multiple countries. 7 7 7 It comes after The Sun's explosive Covid lab leak documentary laid bare the mounting evidence and disturbing questions surrounding the virus's emergence in Wuhan - home to China's most secretive bio-research facility. In April, the US unveiled a bombshell new web page on the origins of Covid, blaming the Wuhan Institute of Virology for unleashing the killer virus. And in a fresh propaganda push, Beijing insisted "substantial evidence" showed Covid "might have emerged in the United States earlier than its officially-claimed timeline, and earlier than the outbreak in China". The document - titled Covid-19 Prevention, Control and Origins Tracing: China's Actions and Stance - was released via China's official Xinhua news agency. It unashamedly accused the US of "indifference and delayed actions" during the global Covid fight - and of scapegoating China to deflect from its own "mismanaged" response. It wrote: "The US has made China the primary scapegoat for its own mismanaged COVID-19 response." The report added that America was 'spreading misinformation' and wasted 'precious time China had secured for the global fight against the pandemic". It revived Beijing's long-standing claims that it shared information with the world in a "timely manner". The paper added: 'The US should not continue to 'pretend to be deaf and dumb', but should respond to the legitimate concerns of the international community.' In May Donald Trump banned all US funding for risky virus research in China and beyond, five years after Covid-19 upended the planet. The US President said in the Oval Office last month: 'I said that right from day one it leaked out — whether it was to the girlfriend or somebody else, [a] scientist walked outside to have lunch with the girlfriend or was together with a lot of people — but that's how it leaked out in my opinion." The Sun's investigation into the origins of Covid 'Smoking gun' docs show US scientists planned to make viruses in Wuhan with SAME features of Covid year before outbreak Pentagon was told SIX times that Covid was lab leak at start of pandemic – but buried the truth, ex-intel official says US government backed shock Wuhan lab plan to collect 500,000 viruses months before Covid… and KNEW it was dangerous Wuhan Covid 'lab leak' firm given $60m US taxpayer funding for MORE virus tests Covid was 'perfectly adapted' to infect humans when virus emerged in Wuhan which 'proves' lab leak Bombshell clues that 'prove' China hid Covid lab leak in 'cover up of the century worse than Watergate' Crumbling sewers, no PPE, & filthy cages – Inside 'chaotic & crowded' Wuhan labs which may have unleashed Covid Wuhan Covid 'lab leak' scientists were 'bitten by bats & sprayed with blood' China's OWN scientists discussed 'problems' with Wuhan lab days after Covid outbreak Secret memo shows how panicked China ordered labs to destroy Covid samples Wuhan lab chief 'ordered scientists not to talk about Covid origins ' in leaked email France 'warned Wuhan lab could be turned into a 'biological arsenal' by Chinese military four years before Covid 'leak'
North Wales Live
15 hours ago
- North Wales Live
Gossiping boss called North Wales GP surgery manager an 'old knacker'
The former manager of a North Wales GP surgery has won compensation of more than £142,000 after one of her bosses branded her an "old knacker" and said her daughter was a "fat p***k". Dr George Williams – a female GP who is one of the two partners at Gardden Road surgery in Rhosllanerchrugog, Wrexham - described then-practice manager Catherine Clark, 62, and her family as "the Clarkashians" in reference to the Kardashians, an American family of celebrities known for their reality TV show, an employment tribunal heard. The judge found Dr Williams and others at the practice "looked down" on Ms Clark as a "source of entertainment and gossip", reports WalesOnline. Dr Williams gossiped about the manager's "Clarkashian" lifestyle and felt she was "incompetent and too old for her job". At one point the GP wrote to her then-boyfriend: "Now trying to dislodge the old knacker but like any decent tumour she has a long root!" Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone Employment judge Rachel Harfield said this was harassment related to age and that it was "a reference to an old horse that needed to be put down in that the claimant should no longer work there". When Ms Clark found out such messages had been sent behind her back she was "heartbroken". She had believed Dr Williams was "a very loved and trusted friend" and had confided in her about experiencing anxiety and depression. Ms Clark was prescribed diazepam for those issues but would later learn she had been labelled a "drug-seeker" in WhatsApp messages between surgery colleagues. Dr Williams had also written messages describing Ms Clark's daughter as a "fat p***k" and another family member as "10 pints". The judge said there was no "reasonable and proper cause" for such language. In one conversation she wrote a message about Ms Clark's daughter and another family member getting a Covid test starting with the words: "Clarkashian update." After breaking up with Dr Williams in acrimonious circumstances the GP's ex-boyfriend contacted Ms Clark in December 2021 and informed her what had been said behind her back. He described his ex as having an "obsession" with Ms Clark and her family. Ms Clark said she cried for days after learning about the messages and said she felt devastated. She made complaints about her treatment but felt these had been poorly handled by Gardden Road surgery so she resigned and sued the practice. The judge found that Dr Williams and other staff engaged in "unkind" gossip about Ms Clark including about her prescription medications. Dr Williams claimed the "old knacker" comment was not intended to be derogatory, telling the court she referred to her own mum as "old dear" in an affectionate way. But Judge Harfield said: "We wholly reject that argument – it is a different term and a different phrase said in a wholly different context." The judge upheld claims of constructive unfair dismissal and harassment related to age and disability – as Ms Clark was managing a long-term health condition – as well as discrimination. The surgery was also found to have victimised her by failing to take action against Dr Williams after Ms Clark brought a grievance. Judge Harfield found the surgery created a "intimidating, degrading, humiliating, and offensive" environment for Ms Clark. She awarded a remedy of £142,803 including £60,873 for financial losses, £32,550 for injury to feelings, and £16,844 for unfair dismissal.
