Swansea Man’s Miles For UNICEF

Timothy Lambert, a team lead at the Amazon Fulfilment Centre in Swansea, took on the challenge of covering 65km from Llyn y Fan Fach over the beacons to Pen Y Fan and back again to raise funds for the world’s leading organisation working for children in danger.

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, works to build a better world for every child, every day, everywhere. UNICEF provides children with clean water, life-saving food and vaccines, education, and protection from violence, working with families, local communities, organisations and governments in more than 190 countries to help every child realise their full potential.

When visiting Llyn y Fan Fach for the first time, at its peak Timothy could see in the distance Pen Y Fan on the horizon. He felt the distance was achievable, and the idea for the walk was born. UNICEF is a charity that means a lot to Timothy, and it seemed the right decision to fundraise for this cause.

The route taken involved a combination of running, jogging, and walking, with Timothy stocked up with light provisions in his backpack. Timothy tracked his route using Strava to monitor his distance.

Timothy mapped his route using OS Maps, prepped light supplies, filled up a few water bottles and packed a spare set of socks. He set off at 06:30 to climb Pen y Fan, the weather in his favour and providing him with a few fantastic photo opportunities along the way.

Timothy reached the peak of Pen y Fan at around 18:00, and then started his journey back. He continued back along the path for three hours until returning to the start of Pen y Fan. At this point, the sun was setting in the distance, and he still had 27km left to walk. Timothy’s walking speed was around 1-2kmh, his legs and feet ached, but he was committed to completing his challenge. His torch led him through the darkness, the sky was clear and the path very peaceful.

At 04:00 the next day, battling the decreasing temperatures, Timothy knew there was a possibility he may not make the finish line and would be requiring assistance if he pushed himself too far. This is where his friend got involved.

Timothy called on him and asked for his help in mapping an alternative route back to his car, shortening the distance travelled to a more manageable goal. When he reached his car, Timothy had clocked 59.8km, before walking a little further to add an additional 0.2km to reach 60km total distance travelled. Although Timothy didn’t make the full distance of 65km on this occasion, he put his health first and is proud of his achievement and funds raised.

Timothy has vowed to re-do this challenge in the future, with the lessons he learned from this attempt willing him on. As Timothy said, “the challenges of today will give us the wisdom we need tomorrow.”

Christopher Law, General Manager at Amazon in Swansea, said:

“Timothy is one of the many talented people we have on our team here at Amazon in Swansea. We’re so proud of his achievement with this challenge and his support of such a great charity.”

Speaking on his experience, Timothy added:

“In total, my challenge raised £400, with 3,000m climbed and 60km travelled in 18 hours. I had the experience I was looking for in pushing myself the extra mile and I learned some very important lessons regarding preparation. I am thankful to everyone who supported me and who donated towards UNICEF, a charity that are a great support to many.”

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