A charity walk organised by the family of an Assembly Member diagnosed with bowel cancer has raised more than £20,000 for Velindre.
Plaid Cymru AM Steffan Lewis, who represents South Wales East, announced he had stage four bowel cancer in December 2017, and has since received treatment at the Royal Gwent hospital in Newport and Velindre.
People from across Wales’ political spectrum were part of a 150-strong contingent who completed the 11-mile walk from Cwmcarn to Blackwood in aid of Velindre Cancer Centre on Saturday, July 14.
Those in attendance included former Welsh Conservative Party leader Andrew RT Davies, Labour MP for Torfaen Chris Evans and Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood.
Over £20,000 has been raised so far by the event, four times the original fundraising target.
Dr Hilary Williams, Mr Lewis’ Medical Oncology consultant who attended the walk, said: “I was delighted to walk with Steffan, his family and friends across the wonderful valleys countryside.
“It was very humbling to take part in such a positive event with so many people united to support Steffan and our work at Velindre Cancer Centre.
“Bowel cancer is very common in Wales, and for many more like Steffan, easy access to trials and research is key to fighting this disease. Donations to Velindre have allowed us to build a very specialist trials unit and patients no longer have to travel to London for state of the art research.
“Personally, I will never forget the determination of Steffan, his sister Nia, mum and colleagues to support Velindre to provide the best possible cancer care for those in Wales.
“Thank you so much for all your support. We now have reached four times the target.”
Mr Lewis joined the last mile of the walk that was organised by his sister, Nia, as a birthday present for him.
Speaking after the event, he said: “I’m extremely grateful to my sister and her team for organising the sponsored walk to raise money for Velindre Cancer Centre and to all the people who took part in the walk.
“Velindre relies solely on donations to carry out its ground-breaking research and I’m delighted that the walk has raised around £20,000, every penny of which will be spent on increasing our understanding of cancer and developing new treatments to improve the prospects and quality of life of people affected.
“I was heartened that the initiative received support from all across the political spectrum which goes to show that even in these troubled times the human instinct to support our brothers and sisters can be stronger than our urge to quarrel and splinter.”
Well done to all those involved.
A tidy sum raised for a very worthy cause.
Best wishes to Steffan Lewis his family and supportive friends in their continuing fight.