Pam helps husband dream of Wales walking football trip
Pam Barlow swam 70 lengths of her local swimming pool, to mark her looming 70th birthday, in Builth Wells last week, while also raising money for husband Dave, who is heading to Sweden later this year to play for Wales in the International Walking Football Federation World Championships.
Dave, a keen sportsman in his youth and who was once an apprentice at Blackpool, was first introduced to walking football by Mandy Gornicki, his neighbour in the tiny Powys village of Cefn Gorwydd, near Llanwrtyd Wells, in 2023.
Mandy, a former Welsh women's player, who featured in the first-ever Wales international in 1993, helped Dave earn his first cap for Wales Over 70s; and they both represented Wales at the European Championships in Marseille that June.
Now, Dave is hopefully off to the world stage, with a little help from Pam.
'Walking football has given my husband a new lease of life,' she said.
'After playing competitive sport for most of his life, he never dreamed he would be putting on his boots again to play international football at the age of 75.
'So, I just wanted to give a bit of help to the team as they represent Wales this July.
'The trip is completely self-funded and the team is trying to raise funds for some smart travel and warm-up gear to give them a sense of national pride and promote walking football.
'This is an amazing activity, which can help with all kinds of mental and physical well-being for older men and women.
'With this in mind, I decided to do a sponsored swim at my local pool in Builth Wells. I completed 70 lengths in 70 minutes in my 70th year.
'My daughter set up a GoFundMe page and we are well on our way of reaching our target of £700.'
Pam completed her 70 lengths in an impressive time of 52 minutes, 41 seconds, on Friday, May 2, and thanked the swimming pool staff who were so supportive.
Dave praised his wife's 'phenomenal' effort and said all of his team-mates are doing similar things to raise money for the trip.
'Unfortunately, everything is about self-funding these days, especially in amateur sports,' said the retired PE teacher.
'Every little helps and everyone in the group has been brilliant in fundraising for themselves.'
Dave will travel with the Wales Over 70s squad to Sweden for the tournament, taking place from July 3-6, and featuring the likes of the hosts, as well as Italy, France, England, Peru, Australia, Norway, and even a team from the Scottish isles.
'I train at Merthyr and it's a wonderful bunch of boys, there's a terrific camaraderie,' added Dave, who moved with Pam to Powys over a decade ago.
'It was my debut in 2023 and now I'm probably one of the more senior members, in terms of age and experience.
'I'm enjoying the experience. I played sport all my life, including football, rugby, basketball and cricket, but football's always been my first love.
'I quit playing rugby at 46 and thought it was time to give the body a rest. But after a chance meeting with Mandy down the road, it's opened a lot of doors.
'It's tough to give up playing sport, at any level, but I would encourage people to pursue any opportunity that's out there.
'You're a long time retired so take every opportunity. My doctors say keeping active is the best thing you can do.'
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