Schoolboy to climb Welsh peaks in memory of great-grandmother

Year 1 pupil Carwyn Beynon will climb Pen Y Fan and Corn Du on September 15 in memory of his Great Nanny Shirley.

The five-year-old from Rhymney Valley got the fundraising bug after watching his mum Amy Beynon undertake a number of charity challenges earlier this year including a charity walk and Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Running Down Dementia challenge, which encouraged runners to clock up 100km over the summer and raise £100 for dementia research.

Amy, 33, said:

“Carwyn would join me a lot when I was training and would tell me how proud he was of me and decided that he wanted to do something for charity too.

“He said he wanted to climb Everest or do a marathon but we had a chat about doing something smaller to start with! We decided to climb the two highest peaks in south Wales and we asked Carwyn which charity he wanted to support and he chose Alzheimer’s Research UK in memory of his Great Nanny Shirley who passed away with vascular dementia in January.”

Carwyn used to visit his great grandmother three or four times a week and so was very close to her.

His mum, who is a pharmacy technician, added:

“He obviously didn’t understand the ins and outs of dementia, but he knew her health was declining and understood she wasn’t getting better. He was sad when she passed away but talks about her a lot as she was such a big part of his life.”

When asked what his favourite memory of Great Nanny Shirley was Carwyn said:

“She always made me smile, and still makes me happy and sad now (sad because she isn’t here anymore). My favourite memories were visiting her flat and her whispering to tell me to go get biscuits out of the biscuit cupboard!

“I remember the last Christmas present she bought me, which was a Springy Spiderman – and I loved showing her how to play it! I always remember visiting her in hospital, I liked that.”

Carwyn will complete the challenge with his mum and their cousins Cath and Alexe O’Connor. Amy said he is excited about doing the walk and tells everyone he meets.

She said:

“He is so proud that he is doing the challenge, he is telling everyone and can’t wait to tell his school friends. He likes seeing when donations come through and reading the messages people leave on his fundraising page.

“My husband Scott and I are really proud of Carwyn for doing this challenge. He chose the challenge and the charity himself and we will be taking it relatively easy on the day as we want him to enjoy it.”

To sponsor Carwyn visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/carwyns-challenge-doublesummit-beacons-alzheimersresearchuk-amy-beynon3

Ceri Smith, Fundraising Officer for Wales, said:

“We are delighted to have Carwyn on board and flying the flag for Alzheimer’s Research UK. He is one of the youngest Welsh fundraisers we have so are delighted that he has chosen to support dementia research for his charity challenge and can’t wait to see how he gets on.

“The money he raises will help us defeat dementia sooner. We plan to bring about a life changing dementia treatment by 2025 and can only do this with the support of our fundraisers.”

If Carwyn has inspired you to get involved with fundraising or volunteering for Alzheimer’s Research UK in Wales then you can contact Ceri on ceri.smith@alzheimerresearchuk.org or 07500 602675.

For further information about Alzheimer’s Research UK visit www.alzheimersresearchuk.org