Brecon’s Des Lally has been appointed BEM in the New Year’s Honours list.

Des who has raised more than £85,000 for cancer and armed forces charities, said he was ‘extremely humbled’ by the news.

Des climbed to fame when he raised £50,000 for Help for Heroes and Cancer Research UK by scaling Pen-y-Fan – the second highest peak in Wales – 365 times in a year back in 2019.

I’m 2021 the 46-year-old mortgage broker climbed five mountains in five countries over three days raising more much-needed funds for both charities.

At Christmas Des and his parents who together run the Watergate Fish Bar in Brecon, offered free fish and chips to local residents who were alone on Christmas Day.

Des told the B&R: “It’s the first time we’ve done it on Christmas Day. There’s a lot of people out there and I always say that there’s someone who’s worse off than you and I think at the end of the day, if everyone could give a little bit back like we’re doing, the world would be a better place.

Also recognised in the Honours List are John Davies of Brecon and Crickhowell’s Kate Mavor

John Davies is co-founder and chair of Cyber Wales and receives and MBE for services to the UK cyber ecosystem.

Kate Mavor, chief executive of the English Heritage Trust becomes a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to heritage.

She was formerly the chief executive of the National Trust for Scotland and was previously awarded a Doctor of the University degree by Heriot-Watt University "in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the promotion and preservation of Scotland’s environmental heritage and to developments in the community volunteer movement" and was made an honorary fellow of Trinity College, Oxford.

See more in next week’s B&R