NFU Cymru has scooped a major fundraising award for raising more than £23,000 for British farmers in need of financial help.
A band of intrepid NFU Cymru staff, members and supporters raised the significant sum after completing the gruelling Hike & Bike Challenge.
The event saw more than 60 participants climb the peaks of Snowdon, Cadair Idris and Pen y Fan, with a hardy band of 29 cyclists taking on the additional mission of cycling between each mountain.
That meant scaling more than 7,600 feet of mountain paths and cycling over 130 miles on some of Wales most scenic roads, racking up a further 9,000 feet of climbing in the bike saddle.
The money raised through the challenge helped many farming families in difficulty.
On Wednesday 15 May, representatives from the union attended the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution's (RABI) annual meeting on Wednesday 15th May.
They were presented with the Dennis Brown Shield in recognition of exceptional contribution to the charity in 2018.
Malcolm Thomas MBE, RABI Chairman, said: “This was an epic and extremely arduous challenge and everyone who took part deserves the highest praise for completing the event, often in atrocious weather conditions.
“Every single penny of the record sum raised will go to support the people we help, and on behalf of those people, I would like to record my most sincere thanks to John and his team at NFU Cymru for all their efforts. Congratulations on a very well-deserved award.”
NFU Cymru Director John Mercer came up with the idea for the Hike & Bike Challenge and completed the three walks and two rides.
He said the union is 'honoured' to receive this prestigious award from the RABI Awards Panel, saying: “It was fantastic to see so many joining us for the challenge and I would again like to thank all of those who took part on raising a fantastic sum of money that will make a real difference to this important charity.”
