AN Eglwyswrw woman has put herself through a marathon challenge to raise vital funds for a cause close to her heart.

Bethan Bowen, 23, ran the Cardiff half marathon to raise money for British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru in memory of her father William Eirian Bowen who suffered a heart attack and passed away in 2009.

Bethan collected more than £700.

She said: “My father suffered a heart attack and passed away only two weeks before I was due to start university. It was a hard time for the family. I wanted to do something in his memory and decided that I would run a half marathon. This was my first half marathon and I decided to do it for the BHF Cymru. I was so delighted that I completed the challenge within two hours. Now I’m really looking forward to running my next one. “

Local BHF fundraising and volunteer manager, Jayne Lewis, said: “I would like to thank Bethan for raising funds for BHF Cymru. Nine people will die prematurely every day in Wales from heart and circulatory disease. That is why the work of the BHF is vital and we rely on generous donations of time and money to continue our life-saving work”.