A Mid Wales farmer is preparing to take on the gruelling Man v Horse race in Llanwrtyd Wells to raise money for the hospice that supported his family throughout his brother’s childhood.

Will Davies, 26, who lives between the home farm in Howey and Llangurig, will be pulling on his running trainers on Saturday, June 14 to compete in the world-famous endurance challenge, which sees runners race horses through the Powys countryside.

He is taking part in support of Hope House children’s hospice, where his brother Johnny received care for many years.

“My brother Johnny used Hope House through his whole childhood, and it was huge for both him and my family,” said Will.

“Johnny loved going there and was always smiling with the staff, while my parents were able to take a much-needed rest from giving the care he needed every day.”

Johnny, now 25, has a rare genetic disorder called CDGS Type 1A, meaning he needed round-the-clock care while growing up. He now lives at home with his family in Howey and attends The National Star, a specialist college for people with disabilities.

“There’s nothing else like Hope House for children around Mid Wales, and it can be quite isolating, so for our family to have the support and care while Johnny was young was invaluable,” said Will.

“I just wanted to give something back to make sure families can have access to what we did at Hope House.

“I just feel that I could have easily been in Johnny’s situation, so it’s important to me to use the privilege to pay back the people that have helped us as a family.”

Will has been training since January and says the challenge of racing a horse across rugged terrain will be tough – but worth it.

“I’ve been in training for this since January, running up and down the Mid Wales hills getting fit. It’s going to be tough, but it’ll all be worth it for the cause.

“Just finishing will be quite the achievement, I’m certainly not expecting to beat the horse,” he laughed.

Hope House fundraiser Bekki Fardoe praised Will’s efforts: “It costs £10 million a year to run the services at our hospices, with no charge ever made to families for accessing our services.

“We can only be here for the children and families that need us thanks to the wonderful support of people like Will, who take on challenges like this to raise money.

“Good luck Will, we’ll all be cheering you on!”

You can support Will’s fundraising effort at: justgiving.com/page/william-davies-1736594871562

Hope House Children's Hospices provide specialist nursing care and support to children, and their families, who live in Shropshire, Cheshire and across Wales. They support more than 750 local families who are either caring for a terminally ill child, or whose child has died. Approximately two month’s income comes from statutory sources and for the other 10 months of the year, they are dependent on public support.