Police take on 30 mile Colwyn Bay challenge for Glan Clwyd Special Care Baby Unit

PC Eryl Lloyd was joined at Colwyn BAy running club Black Cloak Runners by DC Stuart Goldsack, PC Liam Jones, PC Katie Ellis and Shared Service Facility (SSF) Manager Aaron Haggas for the feat, which saw each team mate run five miles, every four hours, for 24 hours.

The family were supported by Cuddles while George was receiving treatment

in 2015, PC Lloyd’s son George was born at just 27 weeks and spent three months receiving treatment in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd’s Special Care Baby Unit. At the time, Eryl and wife Claire received valuable support from ‘Cuddles’ – a charity that supports families as well as the unit itself.

PC Lloyd said: “Cuddles provides things you wouldn’t really notice or appreciate at the time. Things like the parents’ room, tea, coffee and lunch - it was all there.

“Claire was there constantly. It was a difficult time, as we had to juggle family life with the two other boys at home. Thinking back now, it was a scary time however we were very fortunate.

“Towards the end of our stay, Claire had moved into the unit to be with George and Cuddles provided the room for her to stay in overnight.”

On top of the physical demands of the challenge, runners also had to plan their meals and clean their kit between each run, not to mention dealing with sleep deprivation.

PC Lloyd added: “The hardest element of the challenge for me was the time between the runs. They were taking longer every time, especially the last ten miles, so by the time I got home, showered, hydrated, ate and got things ready for the next five miles, maybe sleep - it was time to go again.

“The last five miles was the hardest for me - it was only knowing the others were out as well and the money we had raised for Cuddles that got me through it."

PC Liam Jones and DC Stuart Goldsack

PC Jones and DC Goldsack were able to complete some of their five mile runs together, while adhering to social distance guidelines, while up until a year ago, PC Ellis did no running and was filled with dread by the mention of it.

PC Katie Ellis

Aaron, SSF Manager said “It was tough, especially with the heat in the night that was not expected. I struggled to sleep but the pure adrenaline of what we were doing and why helped keep me going. It was great to have a socially distanced beer with the team after the last five mile run.

“We started at 8pm on Friday and set off on our last five miles at 4pm on Saturday. In addition to sleep deprivation, a need for regular clean kit and copious amounts of pasta and donuts, we had the challenge of running in glorious warm sunshine. It was tough.”

“We all ran our own route in the Colwyn Bay and Rhos-on-Sea area, clocking up an amazing thirty miles each within 24 hours.”

To donate to the team's fundraiser for Cuddles,search for the 'BCR THIRSTY 30' page on justgiving.com.