Christmas Pudding Race Gives a Plum Gift to Homeless Charity

The annual and renowned Merthyr Mawr Christmas Pudding Run saw hundreds gather in Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend, on Sunday 8 December, raising £2,235 for local charities, £835 of which has gone directly to the Welsh homeless charity, Llamau.

Organised by the Brackla Harriers running club, the event saw runners brave the chill and the mixed terrain – including some thigh-aching sand dunes and many water features – to raise money for Llamau and other charities, including Bridgend Community Bereavement Support, MacMillan Cancer Support and Action for Children Bridgend. Some runners took home a Christmas pudding as a race memento, and many opted to donate the equivalent value to Llamau.

The 30th Christmas Pudding Race was sponsored by Run and Become, Tesco, Brecon Carreg Water, Lidl and local organisations One2One Therapy, Waterstone Homes, Hunters Estate Agents and JCP Solicitors. Many JCP Solicitors staff members ran, supported and volunteered with the business making a donation in lieu of Christmas Puddings of £635 to Llamau, which will go towards the charity’s Christmas dinner for their homeless service users. The Pudding Run organisers also contributed £200 from the profit made from selling t-shirts and jumpers at the event.

JCP’s Marketing Director Amy Seppman said: “We are so pleased to be a sponsor of the Merthyr Mawr Christmas Pudding Run again this year since this fun and challenging event is such a beloved fixture in the Bridgend events calendar and it does so much to support local charities.  

“With a JCP Solicitors office in nearby Cowbridge, it is important to us that we get involved in community events like this one, which go ahead on our doorstep and which have been supporting local charities for so long.”

Race Director, Christopher Jeynes, said: “Thanks go once again to the Mclaggan family for allowing us to use the estate to run the 30th year of The Merthyr Mawr Christmas Pudding Run. This race is always popular and it has such a unique atmosphere. Many congratulations to all who took part in 2019 and who completed the course, thanks to the sponsors and the stewards who make sure the event goes ahead safely and without a hitch, and we are pleased that local charities will feel the benefit of our efforts again this year.”

(Left to Right: Amy Seppman - Marketing Director - JCP Solicitors, Wendy Collie - Income Generation Manager - Llamau, Chris Jeynes - Race Director - Merthyr Mawr Pudding Run)