MORE than 300 cyclists took to the roads of Carmarthenshire recently in the annual Daffodil Ride to help raise money for two west Wales charities.
The tenth Daffodil Ride saw hundreds of riders, including former international rugby legend Shane Williams, embark on a 43 mile loop challenge through hilly Carmarthenshire.
This year £3,300 was raised through the race and – as in previous years – all proceeds from the Ride are being donated to local charities.
This year’s chosen charities are The Dylan Rees Trust Fund and Carmarthen – based Cerebra.
The ride itself was being organised by thi rd year students from the School of Sport, Health and Outdoor Education (SHOE) at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD).
This year , two BSc Personal Trainer students, Cerith Evans and Catherine Davies were in charge of organising the Daffodil Ride. Both are studying the Interdisciplinary Support for Adventurous Activities module on the BSc Personal Training course.
Geraint Forster, who runs the Interdisciplinary Support for Adventurous Activities module on the BSc Personal Training course said: “It was an excellent event once again and huge congratulations must go to everybody who took part and help raise thousands of pounds for charity.
“ I’m very pleased that we could raise so much money for two very worthy causes. I’m from the same village and went to school with Dylan so from a personal point of view it was fantastic to see him and his family attend the event and support us on the day. Their support on the day was very much appreciated by everybody. “
He added: “ I also must congratulate Cerith and Catherine for all their hard work in organising the event. The Interdisciplinary Support for Adventurous Activities module is all about giving students the opportunity to work with people who are preparing for some sort of adventurous challenge and also for students to organise a challenge of their own.
“ So far on this module, students have worked on a one-to one basis with clients who are working towards challenging adventure sports goals including one who is striving to become an Olympic Kayaker. The students have also written an article for Adventure Travel Magazine, giving advice on preparing for outdoor adventurous challenges.
“Local events like the Daffodil Ride are a brilliant way of getting your name out there as a personal trainer, if you have your own business the event can raise the awareness of you and your business and secure you more clients.
“ This task provides students with key skills for employability including management of others, it’s a great thing to put on a CV and talk about at interview. The third year of BSc Personal Training and BSc Outdoor Fitness is very professionally focused, students run their own personal training business, they organise events, and it’s less lecture based and more focused on getting out there and practising real life skills under the insurance and supervision of the University.”
The founder of the Daffodil Ride, Andy Edwards, who is local to Pendine, set up the event ten years ago with the aim of breathing life into the village during an otherwise quiet season. Having now moved from Pendine to Carmarthen, Andy was determined that the Daffodil Ride would continue and offered the organising responsibilities to UWTSD students.
Cerith Evans Event organiser and BSc Personal Training course student added: “Organising this event has been the most beneficial learning experience of the whole degree as it has involved working with a wide range of people, and has involved practical learning experiences that are key life skills that will help me in many ways in the future.”
Catherine Davies, Event organiser and BSc Personal Training course student , added : “Learning to work with a range of other organisation such as the Police, Council and local businesses has been such a valuable experience, which I have already referred to in a job interview.”
Add Comment