Last Christmas, 75-year-old David Ellis was set a challenge by his family – to walk 874 miles throughout 2021.

David, a retired solicitor and keen walker from Pontllanfraith, accepted the challenge – and on July 13 he successfully completed the distance – the equivalent of Land’s End to John O’Groats.

Not only did David complete the challenge six months ahead of schedule – but he also raised more than £4,100 for the new breast care unit at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr – significantly higher than his initial £2,500 target.

David began the virtual journey across the UK on January 1 and has battled the elements throughout. On the final day of his challenge though, the sun was shining bright as friends and colleagues from the Rotary Club of Blackwood joined him at Pen y Fan Pond.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer, David said: “I was out every day from the day I started until the day I’d done the distance.

“I might have done one mile or I might have done nine miles.

“I would often bump into someone I know and we’d have a chat. Some people I saw knew about the walk because they had read it in Caerphilly Observer, so they’d talk to me about it and some would even give me a bit of money towards the cause.

“One person on Mynyddislwyn Mountain said ‘whenever you come past pop in for a cup of tea’.”

David also said his children have taken on the challenge themselves, but are yet to finish.

David said: “I also got the rotary club involved because during the pandemic, we haven’t been able to do as much and I thought it would be a good opportunity to get everyone involved.”

He chose to raise the funds for the breast care unit because a few of the wives of rotary club members were already involved in the fundraising efforts for the unit.

On Tuesday, October 5, a cheque was presented from the Rotary Club of Blackwood to Emma Wilkins, the fundraising manager for breast services at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.

After accepting the cheque, Ms Wilkins said: “We are so grateful for David’s outstanding efforts in raising such a substantial amount of money.”

Ms Wilkins also thanked members Sonia Stevens and Beverley Edwards, who kept everyone up to date with David’s journey by updating his GoFundMe page. They marked David’s progress against a virtual journey between Land’s End and John O’Groats.

She added: “This amount will make a huge difference to our efforts with less than £20,000 left. This amount has certainly impacted on our ability to reach the £200,000 target initially set.

“The fundraising has been a testament to a the fantastic spirit and generosity of our local community.”

The new breast care unit is set to be based in a new hospital building at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr, which will be connected to the main hospital by a glass corridor.

Work is expected to start on the new building this year.

The new building will have a variety of consultation, examination, ultrasound, radiology, mammogram, treatment and counselling rooms, along with a reception and waiting area, as well as changing rooms and toilets.

There will also be room for offices, staff facilities and a volunteer café.

Eight car parking spaces at the hospital will be lost to accommodate the new building, but 13 additional spaces will be provided, including two electrical charging points.

For more information about the breast care unit or to fundraise for the unit, visit Obv.sr/breastunit