Dyfed-Powys Police raise £16,000 for charity

Dyfed-Powys Police has organised its second WAAT 4 Challenge, which took place on 19 June and raised more than £16,000 for a variety of charities.

The endurance event required teams of four to navigate over a 40km course from the Brecon over Pen-y-Fan and the central Beacons. The money raised was split between Wales Air Ambulance, Mountain Rescue and Help for Heroes.

The winners - Brecon Multisport, who also won last year - completed the circuit in an impressive 4:42hrs and thankfully tackled the unforgiving terrain in perfect weather conditions.

Event organiser Gary Philpott says: "Once again this was a fantastic event, which exceeded all our expectations. It was an ideal opportunity for our service personnel as well as members of the public, to work together in aid of these very much needed services within our community.

"Although this route was more demanding this year the feeling was that all participants really enjoyed themselves. This event included teams the Military, Police Service, Fire and Ambulance services, as well as civilian members of the community. It was the perfect platform for Dyfed-Powys Police to showcase its commitment to the communities its serves and such a significant organisation, which delivers a vital service to ensure the safety of people in a time of need across Wales."

The event was supported by local businesses that kindly provided a variety of resources and refreshments.

Supporters:

Matthew's Jewellers the medals and trophies
Brecon Castle Hotel provided venue and staff
Brecon Carreg Water donated 2,400 bottles of water
Brecon Rugby Club - use of facilities for starting point
Pilgrims Tea Rooms for providing staff to cook Hog Roast and BBQ
Office Solution Wales who kindly provided all the tea and coffee at the checkpoints
East's Butcher's - hog roast

With the first team setting-off at 7:00am and subsequent teams leaving at 9:00 and 11:00 respective of ability, the mighty Brecon Beacons were soon awash with dedicated trekkers.

At the awards ceremony, which was held at the Brecon Castle Hotel, participants gave positive feedback and praised the organisers for producing such a well-structured event.

Powys Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Steve Hughson said: "I am delighted with the effort we have made in organising this event, in particular the planning committee, who gave their time to ensure its success."

The Chief Superintendent and his team received a trophy for raising the most sponsorship - an impressive £1,500! He added: "For someone who loves the outdoors I really enjoyed this challenge. However, the distance coupled with the demanding terrain cannot be overestimated and I admire every team for taking part.

"I would like to run a third event next year, hopefully making it bigger and better, thereby raising more money for worthwhile charities. We are already thinking about WAAT 4 2011 - come and join us."