THREE determined friends will take on a gruelling 24km hike in aid of an Ammanford charity.

Sharon James, Tracey Anderson and Ray Watson will climb over Pen Y Fan in June to raise money for The Amman Valley Day Surgical Unit Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Clinic in Ammanford.

For Sharon, owner of Cae’r Ffair Nursery, in, this is an especially important fundraiser as her mother suffers from the medical condition AMD.

The condition results in a loss of central vision and affects people’s ability to drive, read and do any normal every day activities.

Sharon said the condition doesn’t stop her mother from doing what she loves: “She is an avid reader, so she now buys audiobooks and for baking she uses talking weighing scales to be able to measure the ingredients.”

In the months leading up to the hike, Sharon has held multiple fundraisers, such as a Cream Tea Charity night and most recently, a buffet held in Dwbi’s Indian, in Cross Hands, which saw support from fifty of her family and friends.

The hike is part of The Fan Dance, an SAS Selection test march staged over Pen Y Fan, the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons.

In preparation for the intense challenge, which will see them carry 15 kilograms of weights in their bags, Sharon, Tracey and Ray go hiking every Thursday and sometimes participate in spin classes and road running.

Sharon added: “I wanted to do it when a friend mentioned doing the challenge before, it’s really intense and we just wanted to do something different to help because there are a lot of people suffering with this.”

The three have set up a donation page on the crowdfunding website JustGiving and hope to raise £2,500.

The page has already been filling up with messages of support.

To donate or find out more, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sharon-james-1.