A COUPLE of friends from Rhyl walked 50 miles from Llandudno to Chester last weekend in aid of a charity and in memory of one of their mothers.
Emma Runcie and Debbie Hoyle, who have been friends for nearly 20 years, have raised more than £3,400 for the British Heart Foundation through their trek on July 19 and 20.
This has surpassed their fundraising target which they set, of £2,400 - www.justgiving.com/page/llandudnotochester.
It took them from Llandudno Pier to the Greyhound Retail Park in Chester, and was in support of a charity “close to our hearts” following the death of Debbie’s mother, Joan.
Emma is a 34-year-old senior recruitment officer at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, while Debbie runs Royal Bakes in Rhyl.
They also organised a raffle, which was drawn on June 30, and raised roughly £1,100 to put towards their donations total.
“It was challenging, but we did it – we didn’t sleep!,” Emma said.
“We left Llandudno Pier at 5pm on July 19 with two of our friends in support, and we stopped off regularly so we could top up our water or get any plasters.
“Flint Lifeboat Station also opened up for us so that we could get washed and changed there; they were really accommodating.
“Both of our husbands, my dad, Debbie’s father-in law, and a lot of friends showed up along the way to give us the support we needed.”
The walk saw Emma and Debbie take on “all weathers”, from the warm sunshine of July 19 to the “torrential downpour” the following day.
But being told that their fundraising total was continuing to rise as they walked provided them with extra motivation, Emma said.
They were met at Greyhound Retail Park by their friends and families, after what Emma said was “by far the most painful thing we’ve ever done”.
She added: “We’re just blown away by the generosity of everybody. It was emotional at times.
“We’re both still a bit sore, but we’re just trying to stretch. I was hobbling around on Sunday. We’ve both got massages booked this week, and some time in the hot tub to try and relax the legs.
“We always knew it was going to be a challenge, but seeing all of our family and friends at the end, and the fundraising total going up, kept us going. We’ve had so much support.”
The JustGiving page for the walk, which saw Emma and Debbie manage 125,000 steps each, will remain open to donations for a few more weeks.
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