June 12, 2026 - 170 views
A former Coleg Llandrillo sports student has raised more than £1,000 for charity after completing a unique challenge that saw him run 5K every day for 31 days – including one run in a bath.
Twenty-year-old Billy Patterson, who studied Level 2 Sport at Coleg Llandrillo, took on the month-long challenge in aid of Children with Cancer UK, covering 93 miles in total while putting his own creative spin on the fundraising effort.
Billy’s runs took place in a variety of unusual locations and circumstances, from supermarket aisles and Wales’ steepest street to running around a lamppost while blindfolded.
The challenge was inspired by Billy’s own journey to improve his physical and mental wellbeing after experiencing a difficult period in his life.
“I was in a bad place mentally, but I got my life back together and started running and posting videos about it,” said Billy.
“This gave me extra motivation to do better.”
As his confidence and fitness improved, Billy decided to use his passion for running to help others.
“Since I enjoy running and was already posting about it, I figured I might as well raise money for charity at the same time,” he said.
“I wanted to share a challenge, so I decided to do a 5K every day for 31 days. I’d seen other people do similar things and took some inspiration from that. I put a twist on it, though. Some of the runs were a little crazy.”
One of the highlights came on day 23 when Billy returned to Coleg Llandrillo’s Rhos-on-Sea campus, where friends, former tutors and current students cheered him on.
As part of the day’s challenge, he ran around a classroom during a tutorial session, jogged around a table tennis match and completed laps of the college’s 3G sports pitch before receiving a round of applause in the Sports Lounge.
Billy said preparing for the challenge required months of dedication.
“I trained my socks off,” he said. “I was using gym sessions, runs and sprints to get myself mentally and physically healthy. Even so, waking up and recovering every day was tough.”
Having successfully completed all 31 runs and surpassed the £1,000 fundraising mark, Billy is already considering his next challenge.
“I have a couple of things planned, but I’m keeping them to myself for now,” he said. “I’ll take a week’s break and then we’ll see what’s next. I have some big ideas in mind.”
Staff at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai praised Billy’s achievement, describing it as an inspiring example of using sport to make a positive difference while supporting an important cause.
Donations can still be made through Billy’s JustGiving page.
