PLAYERS and coaches from across Croesyceiliog AFC’s teams came together to take on a mammoth endurance challenge to raise money for the NHS.

Around 40 players from the under 16s side through to the senior side and even some coaches ran 100 kilometres each through the month of May.

With their season curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic, coach Mark Morris said the challenge was a good way to keep the team ticking over as well as raising some crucial funds for the NHS.

So far, they have raised £3,840 between them for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board charity.

“It’s snowballed really,” said Mr Morris. “We were all doing a bit of running and someone saw the 100km in May challenge. I said I’d put £50 towards any charity if eight of us did it.

“In the end, about 40 of us finished it.

“With the football season coming to an end early we thought it would be good to keep the boys ticking over and raise money for our local NHS too.

“We set a target of £1,000, but people just kept donating and we are now approaching £4,000.

“A massive thanks goes out to everyone who has donated. The total we’ve raised speaks for itself.”

With no indication of when they will be able to return to the pitch, Mr Morris said the challenge was a good way for the players to keep up with each other.

“It’s good to give the boys something to aim for as it could be a long time before we can play again,” he said.

“The boys would all keep posting their runs and times in a Whatsapp group. It’s a good way to keep everyone together and keep everyone positive when we can’t get together as a club.

“Everyone has done amazing with the effort they have all put in.”

As one of the coaches, Mr Morris was one of the oldest to complete the challenge.

“It was tough,” he said. “I’m one of the older heads and I don’t play any more.

“But when you have people putting money in for a good cause it is easier to finish even when your legs are hurting.”

The club are keeping the JustGiving page open for a few more days. If you would like to donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/croesyafc