THREE men from Builth Wells walked just under 200 miles before Easter to raise money for a new “Forget Me Not” Bereavement Suite at Hereford Hospital for parents who have experienced stillbirth or the death of a newborn.

Richard Morgan, 39, Michael Ward, 34, and Rory Evans, 32, trekked 186 miles along the A470 from Llandudno on Friday, March 23 all the way to Cardiff Bay, which they reached eight days later.

The men have been raising money for the Powys branch of the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death (SANDs) charity, who are intending to build the suite, which helps families through the grieving process.

Richard, who works for Brown’s Coaches in Builth Wells, said: “The death or stillbirth of a new born baby can only be described as a tragedy for a family. The SANDS charity helps families through the process of coming to terms with it.

“All money raised from the walk will go towards the running of the Powys branch of Sands. They are intending to build a ‘Forget me not’ bereavement suite in Hereford Hospital for people who have lost a baby or had a miscarriage.

“These rooms will give families time and space to spend time with their baby immediately after loss in a non clinical room in peace and quiet.” 

The three walkers left each destination on foot at 8am to finish between 4-6pm in the evenings, and they were followed by a two-person support crew the entire way with supplies like food and water.

Starting at Llandudno on day one, the team went through Betws-y-Coed, Dolgellau, Aberangell, Llanidloes, Rhayader, Builth Wells, Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil before reaching Cardiff.

Richard even battled on during his wedding anniversary with his wife Sarah forming part of the support group as the three men hiked from Builth Wells to Brecon.

The group has gained political support as the Mayor of Brecon Councillor Ieuan Williams hosted a reception for the group in the Guild Hall when they arrived in Brecon on the Wednesday, March 28 which was also attended by the Brecon and Radnor AM Kirsty Williams.

The Mayor of Llandudno, Cllr Francis Davies, saw the group off with as they set off at the beginning of the walk.

They were also met with a small crowd and the Mayor of Builth Wells Meryl Prynne as they arrived in Builth Wells on the Wednesday.

Speaking on day seven of the walk during the rain, Richard said: “We have aches, pains and blisters everywhere and the weather today is miserable but it has been really fun.”

The men, who used a satnav to guide them from Llandudno to Cardiff Bay, said they enjoyed giving their “knees, ankles and shins a rest” over Easter following the walk.

Talking about the response they had, Richard said: “We’ve had absolutely stunning generosity from people.

“Places have been giving us meals and drinks and they’ve really got involved with the walk and trying to help.

“People have been tooting their horns at us as they’ve been driving past and they really have been really generous, for the whole walk.”

You can still donate to the group’s Just Giving page which has so far raised over £2,325 for the charity out of their £5,000 target.