Welshpool’s champion boxer Warren BigRig Sinden has declared the weekend his proudest moment after raising over £4,500 to ensure a little boy can join in and play with his friends.
Nine-year-old Aled Owen has cerebral palsy but it doesn’t stop him being one of the kids, however there has been one stumbling block to him joining in fully, a specially adapted £4,000 bike.
So Warren answered the call to get involved by organising a gruelling 36-hour 'Rigathon' offering personal training at his Rigorous Gym while other fund-raising events ran alongside.
The town came out in support and little Aled can start choosing his colour of bike after the target was smashed. The surplus money will go towards Hope House in memory of little Keigan Davies, a local boy who sadly passed away soon after his birth earlier this year.
It was an inspiring weekend and last night Warren shared with us the full story below:
“From a personal point, it was definitely my proudest moment. However this was about a team. Not me.
“I was approached by Rhian Suddell about letting her use my rower for a 5k charity row instead of her taking part in a 5k run due to injury. From there we decided to organise another RIGATHON! Only this time I wanted to push beyond the 25 hours of last time.
“So 36 one-hour slots were booked out to people from the local community, many of whom were completely new to Rigorous. Each session was a taste of how I train people here. Everyone did fantastic in their sessions. We had people from all different backgrounds, ages and the abilities. We had a massive amount of local businesses donate towards the raffle which was drawn on the last hour as me and little Aled battled it out on the punchbags for 12 rounds.
“His smile and hug at the end was worth every hour and yawn! The gym was packed out for the last hour. On Monday Rhian messaged me to say we'd fallen short on our £4k target. So I literally jumped in my car and drove to the gym. Set up the rower for 42,195m and went live on Facebook asking people for one last little push. We raised around another £700 from the marathon row.
“On Monday night we went to tell Aled the good news. Of course after I wound him up pretending we hadn't reached the target. Bless his little heart he took it so well. After visiting him in his home and really getting to know the family I can't stress enough how much he deserves this bike! We take so much for granted!
“I’m sure he'd love me to tell people this, so here goes! I had to use his toilet before leaving and I couldn't figure how to flush. I pressed what I thought was the flush and I watched this metal rod appear and squirt me in the face! He heard me scream from his bedroom and laughed his socks off! He's a bundle of joy! But at that moment I began to realise just how difficult his normal day to day activities are.
“A simple thing like using the toilet is probably a 10-minute job with the hoist he has to use. The same when getting showered or dressed. After asking him I learnt that he spends every second of the day in his chair. He doesn't come out of it until bedtime.
“I can't take the credit for this Rigathon. I honestly don't deserve it. Rhian has been an absolute hero! She's pushed it, organised it and made it run so smoothly. She was there by my side through it all. In fact, the whole family and Ambercabs gang. Well done Rhian!
“There's too many people to thank individually. But I guarantee you Aled’s smile on that bike will be worth every penny! We're planning a big bike ride around Lake Vyrnwy for his first ride.
“On the marathon row I dedicated my last 1,000m to Sarah and BJ for their son little Keigan who sadly passed away. Both had a charity auction the same weekend as the Rigathon. I promised anything after the £4k target to go towards Hope House after they helped Keigan, Sarah and BJ out. We managed £4,500 in total so £500 for hope house, a truly great cause also. It was an absolute pleasure to help two very special little boys. Well done to everyone involved.
“Once again little old Welshpool with a BIG heart!”