A GROUP of women have raised more than £1,000 for the British Heart Foundation in memory of one of their dads.

Louise Lassman, from Blackwood, lost her father to a heart attack recently and had been in shock at the sudden loss. She said: “Since his funeral I have been sitting around trying to think of what to do to move forward.

“I came up with a great fundraising idea that would not only raise money for a wonderful cause, it will help people to get more active, lift moods, give more energy and help to lose weight while also keeping my dad’s name alive.”

She approached members of SJ-Fitness in Blackwood – of which she is a member – and nine of them took part in 30 exercise classes in 30 days between May 4 and June 3.

Joining Ms Lassman on the challenge was Nadine Wood, Emma Stevens, Jayne Reynolds, Mel Reynolds, Jess Froud-Powell, Joanne Cegielski, Natalie Dunn and Sam Connell – a personal trainer and owner of SJ-Fitness.

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“Our exercise group is much more than just an exercise group," said Ms Lassman. "We are a group of women based in Blackwood. We are all ages, shapes and sizes. We support each other and the exercise helps us keep fit and build strength, but it also builds friendships and supports wellbeing and this is exactly what I needed right now.”

On completion of the challenge, the group raised £1,050, did a collective total of 380 hours of exercise classes and burnt 70,000 calories. In line with the covid rules, most of the classes were done online.

“It went really well,” said Ms Lassman. “It really gave us all motivation and for me it was something to really focus on and get stuck into.

“The end of the challenge was so emotional as we really put our all into it. I am so proud of our achievement and I can’t thank the SJ-Fitness team enough for joining me and supporting me through this difficult time.

“The money we raised makes me feel like I’ve done something worthwhile, and I’ve had my dad’s name engraved on the British Heart Foundation’s Heart of Steel which is beautiful.

“I’m sure my dad would be very proud of our achievement.”