Oakdale boy, 8, climbs Pen-y-Fan to raise £500 for Comic Relief (From South Wales Argus)

Oakdale boy, 8, climbs Pen-y-Fan to raise £500 for Comic Relief

9:44am Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News

IT IS a a Welsh mountain famed for testing the mettle of SAS soldiers, but an eight-year-old boy from Oakdale conquered South Wales’ highest peak, Pen-y-Fan, on Saturday, raising £500 for Comic Relief in the process.

And while Ashton Davies’ parents were exhausted at the end of the two-hour trek, the youngster was so excited by his fundraising drive that he was ready to turn back and climb it a second time.

Rhiw Syr Dafydd Primary pupil Ashton was touched by the plight of children less fortunate than himself after seeing an advert for Comic Relief.

After deciding to help, he nagged parents Ryan and Rachel to let him climb Pen-y-Fan, in the Brecon Beacons, and set off on Saturday morning.

While younger brother Finley, four, was considered too young for the trek, Ashton made the trip with his parents and older brother, Kai, ten, to climb to the 2,907-foot summit.

Mrs Davies said: “It took us about two hours, with stopping for breaks, taking a few photos and looking around.

“Ashton loved it and was full of energy. When we finished Ryan said jokingly, ‘Shall we go back up?’ and Ashton replied, ‘Yes, let’s go’. But we were exhausted and said, ‘no way, let’s go home’.”

Initially Ashton had aimed to raise around £300 for Comic Relief.

But co-workers at Abercarn-based Stately Albion, where Mr Davies works, raised £200, while friends, family and schoolmates helped take that total to £391 before they set off.

But the money has kept rolling in this week and the fundraising total has now hit the £500 mark.

There is still over a week until Red Nose Day on March 15, so you can help push Ashton’s total even higher at http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/walk13