Don Hale Blog

*Emily Carr (*above left) with Sarah  Corkish-Brown - at the Bodreinallt Surgery at Castle Street in Conwy, where they are preparing for their epic charity trek. Conwy surgery duo all set for a hot 100k Sahara Desert Trek for St David’s Hospice... Report by Don Hale. donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025   Two daring  members of the Bodreinallt doctors’ surgery team at Conwy are busy preparing to take part in an amazing Sahara Desert Charity  Trek, which is a gruelling 100k event across the hot Sahara Desert in just 5 days, to help raise funds for St David’s Hospice. Practice manager  Sarah Corkish-Brown and Practice Nurse Emily Carr  have signed up for this huge undertaking, which is scheduled to take place in Morocco between  1st-8th  November. The event organisers claim entrants can ‘r ediscover true adventure in the awe-inspiring Sahara Desert.’ The five-day trek covers 100km passing through Morocco’s forbidding landscape punctuated by peaks...

*Tristan Owen (above) a director at Tom  Owen and Son. Tom Owen and Son Funeral Director - FREE Bereavement  COFFEE CONNECTION MORNING IN LLANDUDNO AND COLWYN BAY.   donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 https://www.facebook.com/tomowenandson The Coffee Connection: Colwyn Bay & Llandudno: We know that grief can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to face it alone.  Join us for one of our Bereavement Coffee Connection Mornings in either Colwyn Bay or in Llandudno. Tom Owen and Son offer a special invitation to their Coffee Connection. This is an informal gathering for those who have been bereaved or feel isolated, who want to meet others for coffee (or tea), and a chat. Talk is FREE, and one coffee or tea is on us. It is a supportive space to share experiences (or just listen), meet others who understand, and enjoy a cup of coffee in good company.  Everyone is welcome – whether you’ve experienced a loss recently or some time ago. If you’d like more information, pl...

 *Pictured above - Gwennan Charlton and her family at the Penrhyn Castle event. Penrhyn Castle Dark Run Join the Penrhyn Castle Dark Run – Light Up the Night for Hope House Children’s Hospices! donhaleblog.blogspot.com/2025 Get ready for a magical evening at the stunning Penrhyn Castle as we light up the night for a truly special cause. The Dark Run is a family-friendly event in support of Hope House Children’s Hospices, offering a fun and unique 3K route (or 1.5K for little legs) through the beautiful castle grounds – all after dark!   October 18th 2025, 6pm Our warm up will begin at 6.10pm and at 6.30pm sharp we will start the run! Every participant will receive a bespoke glow-in-the-dark medal and a goody bag to remember the night. Dress up in your brightest, most glowing outfits (optional, but encouraged!) and help us bring light and hope to local families who need it most. We kindly ask each runner to raise as much as they can – every pe...

*Ben and Sarah Hudson - pictured above - at the 70-mile Wall challenge. Ben and Sarah beat ‘The Wall’ and the weather to complete their 70-mile challenge...plus results from the Salomon Trail half-marathon. Report by Don Hale. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com Road Running couple Ben and Sarah Hudson beat ‘The Wall’ and the weather last weekend to complete a gruelling 70-mile ultra-marathon challenge from Carlisle to Gateshead, which covered some of the most spectacular, but difficult courses in the country. This dynamic duo, who are certainly no strangers to ultra events, began their efforts in the early hours of Saturday morning and eventually finished some 16-hours later.   The NWRRC pair ran together throughout the event, which included a tough journey via several notable north-eastern landmarks including Lanercost Priory, Walltown Quarry, The Sill, Hexham, and Newburn, before eventually crossing the finish line at Gateshead. The organisers claimed it was the UK’s most iconic ul...

Nearly £7k raised for Conwy Mind following special Seal Splash Sea Dip event... Report by Don Hale. Photos by Gareth Southworth. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   There was a massive turn-out for a special cold water ‘Seal Splash’ Sea Dip from Colwyn Bay promenade, last Sunday afternoon, which helped to raise nearly £7k for Conwy Mind. Despite the cool and blustery conditions, dozens of brave entrants supported this unusual fundraising event, with many people wearing colourful fancy dress outfits, or bright swimming costumes, before entering the chilly waters. John Hatton , one of the hard-working charity promoters, confirmed:  “We had a great event at Colwyn Bay yesterday, the Seal Splash, a Sea Dip organised by Conwy Mind to raise funds. I was asked to help with the event, and it was a tremendous success with the intention of raising a few thousand pounds. “We eventually made £6,900. It was a really great atmosphere, and even the weather was kind to us, and Gareth Southwort...

*John Hatton (*above) celebrated his 250th credit as a volunteer at Conwy. John Hatton celebrated his 250th appearance as a keen volunteer and athlete at Conwy parkrun... Report by Don Hale. Most photos by Steve Jeffery. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com   John Hatton, a well-known veteran athlete, sports official, charity fundraiser, and promoter of many local  charity  races and events, celebrated his 250th volunteering credit at Conwy parkrun last Saturday. The runner, cyclist, and influential member of North Wales Road Runners has been a prominent and popular member of the hard-working team of marshals, volunteers, and organisers, at this scenic parkrun venue since it first began many years ago. *Conwy parkrun director Gwyn Williams (*above left) and John Hatton are shown in festive gear last Christmas as they shiver before welcoming back all the entrants. John brought his experience and expertise to this particular event after helping to organise the Ni...

*GOG Simon Roxburgh (*above) crosses the finish line in 3rd place at Llanrwst. Podium places for GOG Triathletes Grant Little and Simon Roxburgh at the Llanrwst Sprint challenge ...plus all the other results... Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   There was a massive turn-out of some 54 athletes from the GOG Triathlon Club last Sunday for the Llanrwst Sprint Triathlon challenge with Grant Little and Simon Roxburgh both celebrating top podium places. The event - well organised by the GOGs - attracted 160 quality entrants for the T-1 swim, T-2 cycle and run, with  Llewelyn Edwards  finishing in 1st place, in 1 hour 7 minutes and 14 seconds, and he also won his senior men’s age cat title. Llewelyn was almost four minutes ahead of his nearest rival, GOG Triathlon athlete,  Grant Little , in 1.11.13, who won his MV40-49 cat, and was the 1st GOG member home. *Grant Little (*above), was the 1st GOG m...

*Will Williams (*above) was the first NWRRC member home at Conwy. Fast times despite being cool and breezy at Conwy parkrun...plus news of Elizabeth in the Falkland Islands and Nicola at breezy Blackpool. Report by Don Hale. Photos by Steve Jeffery. https://donhaleblog.blogspot.com www.welshmastersathletics.co.uk   It was rather cool and breezy at the Conwy parkrun last Saturday (1/7/23) but it still failed to deter another bumper attendance which also included a host of top club runners and enthusiastic visitors from many parts of the UK. Two new names though were registered as the 1st and 2nd placed finishers at Conwy with  Aled Hughes  taking the plaudits with an excellent and determined run, especially given the blustery conditions, as the 1st male finisher in 18 minutes and 6 seconds, to win his MV35 age category. He was very closely followed by rival  Dave Hughes , who finished 2nd in the same age cat as Aled, and he was only seven-seconds adrift despite a new...