Special needs pupils from Myrddin Primary School in Carmarthen are to benefit after a generous donation of over £5,000 has been made.
Ryan King, whose daughter Libby age 4 attends the school, recently completed the Barcelona Marathon and thanks to the generosity of friends, family and his employer, Wales & West Utilities, he raised £5,300 – all of which has been donated to the special needs unit at the school.
Ryan, who works as a Technical Manager for Wales & West Utilities, explains:
“I have run half marathon’s in London and Manchester so decided, if I was going to do a full marathon, I’d try somewhere new and this is when Barcelona popped up!
“I set myself an ambitious sponsorship target of £500 and, so, to raise over £5,000 is just amazing!”
Ryan’s friends and family got behind his efforts and he also turned to his employer, Wales & West Utilities, which seeks to make the fundraising efforts of colleagues go further through its match-funding scheme. Ryan was successful in securing an additional £300 which boosted his total to over the £5,000 mark.
The money raised will go directly to helping the 29 special needs pupils that the school currently supports. The money will be used to purchase equipment including virtual reality headsets and support ongoing activities such as horse-riding, skiing and swimming.
Ceri Lilly, Head at the Special Needs Unit at Myrddin Primary School, said:
“This donation from Ryan is simply amazing and we are so thankful. Virtual reality equipment has been on our wish list for some time but thanks to this generous donation, we are now able to introduce this to our classrooms.
“For our special needs pupils interactive virtual reality gives them to many opportunities and opens up their senses to a new world, which provides stimulation. We are so pleased that Ryan completed the marathon and chose to raise sponsorship money for our school.”
Myrddin Special Needs Unit caters for pupils with profound and severe learning difficulties aged 3 to 11.
Wales & West Utilities provided the match-funding donation as part of its continued investment to support colleagues fundraising efforts.
Sarah Hopkins, Wales & West Utilities People & Engagement Director, said:
“Our colleagues do a tremendous job in raising money for such worthwhile causes and we are delighted to help boost Ryan’s sponsorship.
“We are committed to supporting the communities we serve in whatever way we can and hope that pupils at Myrddin Special Needs Unit can benefit from the equipment for many years.”
Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, takes pride in serving Wales and the south west of England. If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call us on 0800 111 999 and our engineers will be there to help, day or night.
The company also has a multi-million pound, 30-year gas pipe investment programme which began in 2002. Old metal pipes within 30 metres of buildings are being upgraded with new long-lasting plastic pipes with a lifespan of more than 80 years, to make sure homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply now and in the future.