Trethomas Bluebirds players have completed a challenge to cover as many miles as possible to raise vital funds for the Anuerin Bevan University Health Board in the fight against coronavirus.
The Welsh Football League Division Two side covered a total of 1,222 kilometres during their permitted daily exercise.
Having set an initial target of £750, the fundraiser recently surpassed £1,700, more than doubling their expected figure.
Manager Mark Dunford said: “A couple of weeks ago, when the lockdown started and it was inevitable that football was going to be put on hold for a while and the pressures that the NHS were going to be under, we decided as a club that we wanted to give a little bit back.
“The Gwent area has been suffering really badly from the virus, and the Aneurin Bevan Health Board were inundated with patients. So we decided that we wanted to do something a little bit unique, but something that was purely from within the club.
“We wanted this to be purely from us as a gift back to the NHS to help fight this virus.”
Explaining the challenge, Dunford said: “We decided that we would use the government’s daily allowance of one exercise session, and we challenged the boys to cover as much distance as they could in that hour session. We uploaded and recorded everything together and kept a tally, and we gave ourselves 12 full days to do it.
“On the back of that, we asked the boys and close friends and family within the club to make some donations. The boys have really put a big shift in, which has made us as a management team very proud.”
One of the main motivations for doing the challenge was striker Dafydd Pearce, who is currently working on the frontline as an NHS medic.
“He’s currently operating right at the heart of the situation,” said Dunford. “Being a healthcare worker myself, I know first hand what Dafydd is putting himself through, and I’d like to commend him for everything he’s doing.”
He added: “There are also other members of the team fulfilling influential roles in the fight against the virus, and everyone is doing a fantastic job both inside and outside of the club.”
To make a donation to the fundraiser, visit obv.sr/tbc19