An Abertillery couple have raised £779 for the Wales Air Ambulance by ‘walking Wales’ from Cyprus.

Lawrence Morris, 52, and his wife Julie, 57, clocked off more than 163 miles for charity, whilst staying at their second home in Pernera, south-east Cyprus.

Walk Wales allowed walkers a chance to set themselves a target based on the number of steps they could achieve over a one-month period from the comfort of their own homes. Each target was the equivalent of a walk between iconic Welsh castles and could be achieved at home, in the garden or during exercise, taking the dog for a walk – and even going up and down the stairs!  

The duo smashed their original target of 150 miles, which is the walking distance from Harlech Castle to Cardiff Castle, which is around 343,000 steps. 

They completed their Walk Wales on 23 June and decided to keep walking until the end of the month. However, Julie suffered a freak accident and needed stiches in her leg, which meant they couldn’t continue to virtually walk Wales from Cyprus. They recorded an amazing 445,000 steps during their challenge.

A delighted Lawrence, who is a former officer at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We have been amazed at the generosity of our family and friends by raising £779 for such a wonderful charity; we are truly humbled by it to be honest.

“We’ve received so much support from people in Cyprus and back in Wales not just in donations but in messages of support and we can’t thank those who took time out of the day to do so enough. A little encouragement does go a very long way.

“Also the messages of support throughout have been inspirational and often provided us with a timely boost as we got ready to set off for the days trek.”

The couple, who travelled to Cyprus in September and decided to stay on the island, are now registered as residents but are looking forward to returning to Wales next month after they’ve celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. 

Julie and Lawrence are both glad to have taken part in Walk Wales and would encourage others to fundraise for the charity.

Lawrence added: “We would encourage others to get involved with this fabulous charity whenever possible so they can keep providing this lifesaving service to our communities across the length and breath of Wales 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Although we’ve done a little bit to raise money it’s really the men and women providing the service that should be applauded.”

Wendy McManus, the Charity’s South-East Wales Community Fundraiser, said: “Lawrence and Julie have raised an incredible £779 for our lifesaving charity. Despite the hot weather they were determined to walk the virtual distance from Harlech Castle to Cardiff Castle, whilst staying in Cyprus. They smashed that target and continued to walk throughout June, until an injury forced them to end their challenge.

“A huge thank you to both of you, you’ve shown that people can take part in Walk Wales virtually from anywhere in the world! Thank you, also to everyone who donated to their fundraiser, you’re all helping save lives across Wales.”

Lawrence’s fundraising for the Charity will not end after completing Walk Wales he is hoping to climb Snowdon next year with his friends Stephen Flower, Stephen Mogford and Andrew Goodenough. The men were due to take on the challenge in 2020 but due to the pandemic their fundraiser was put on hold.

There is still time to show Lawrence and Julie your support by donating to their Just Giving page Lawrence Morris Walk Wales / Cerdded Cymru. 

There are several ways that the public can continue to support the Wales Air Ambulance. These include online donations, signing up to the Charity’s Lifesaving Lottery or by coming up with their own innovative ways to fundraise at home. Further information can be found via www.walesairambulance.com. 

Alternatively, a £5 text-message donation can be made by texting the word HELI to 70711.