SCORES of people - including family members, friends, colleagues and well-wishers - braved the summer heat to take part in the Valleys Walk for Velindre, inspired by South Wales East AM Steffan Lewis’ battle with cancer.

The walk, organised by the Plaid Cymru AM’s sister Nia Davies as a birthday present for her brother, began in Cwmcarn and ended some eight hot, sweaty and hard-earned miles later at Blackwood Rugby Club.

Even a fire on Twmbarlwm last night, which meant a last minute rearrangement of the route, could not deter the walkers from contributing to a fantastic cause.

AMs and MPs from all political parties were among those who took part in the event, which to date has raised £10,290, more than three times the original target.

Mr Lewis, 34, was diagnosed late last year with stage four bowel cancer and has undergone a gruelling battle against the disease, under the expert team at Velindre Hospital in Cardiff.

South Wales Argus politics reporter Ian Craig was among the participants, and said: “This was such a great event.

“Spirits were buoyant when we gathered at Cwmcarn and remained high throughout the walk.

“It’s a shame we had to miss out Twmbarlwm, but my aching feet are perhaps a little grateful of that.

“The fundraising target £3,000 has been absolutely smashed, which is testament to the warmth of feeling towards Steffan.

“I’m really proud to have played a small part in that.”

One of Mr Lewis' friends, Elin Llyr, took park and said: “I’ve been friends with Steffan for over nine years now and it has been a difficult time for him.

“We felt this was something we could do to feel that we’ve helped, and it was great to see him smiling, surrounded by friends and co-workers.

“Nia did a fantastic job in organising the day, and it was so nice to see people from across all the political parties supporting Steffan.

“It was a great day and I think it was quite overwhelming for Steffan and a lot of people there.”

Mr Lewis’ sister said close to 170 people had taken part in the walk in total, and spoke of her amazement at how the charity event had snowballed.

“It was unexpected for the walk to grow so huge, but it was an experience I’ll never forget,” she added.

“It was absolutely incredible seeing everybody coming together for Steffan.

“The amount of love and support shown speaks volumes on the respect that people feel towards him.

“Cancer doesn’t discriminate. There’s so much divide in the political world at the moment, so it was lovely to see everyone uniting against the disease.

“It was a challenge, but I’m really glad we did it and Steffan loved the walk.

“Sometimes people don’t know how to show support to someone in that situation, so I think it was a nice surprise for him seeing all these people offering their support.

“He walked the last few yards with us and afterwards said he was really overwhelmed and that it was a source of strength for him.”

Anyone wishing to donate to the cause can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/valleyswalkforvelindre