2020 Sport Pembrokeshire Awards Feature:

 
 
In the 2020 Sport Pembrokeshire Awards a little bit of history was made as Celt Edwards, who lives at Blaenffos, Crymych, became the youngest, and very deserved recipient of the ‘Chairman’s Award’ at just nine years of age.
 
This award was introduced several years ago and presented by that year’s chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council for achieving something special – not just for being successful in competition but for contributing something special to our county.



 

Amazing fund-raising for a nine year old

 
On this occasion there is no doubt that Celt, the son of Crymych RFC’s Martin Edwards and his wife Caryl, is potentially a very good all-round sportsman but on this occasion it was decided that his fund-raising activities, where he raised over £3,000 to help a family friend and a national charity, were deserving of special recognition.
 
Because in 2019 he took part in a triathlon in order to raise funds for Owen James, the son of family friends Iwan and Gemma James, who has Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, and this year completed another triathlon to raise further funds to help Owen alongside Kidney Wales, a favourite charity of the late radio presenter Andrew ‘Thommo’ Thomas, another family friend.


 

Family support and hard training

 
Small wonder then that Martin, a PE teacher at Milford Haven Comprehensive, and Caryl (a Beauty Lecturer at Ceredigion College in Cardigan) are very proud of Celt, who has a one-year old brother in Rhun.
 
His 2019 challenge saw him being very committed in training alongside dad before he completed a 400 metres swim, eight-mile cycle and two-mile run for Owen and this year he increased his totals so he achieved a two-mile run, 16-mile cycle and another two-mile run – no mean feat for a then-eight year old.
 

Nice invites as his reward

 
His success earned him an invite to appear on ‘Heno’ the Welsh-language television programme, and a trip to the Liberty Stadium as mascot for Swansea City against Brentford, with dad Martin and his friend Iwan James sitting proudly to watch him run out with The Swans’ players.
 
Celt loves helping out on the family farm and is a very keen footballer and plays on the right side of midfield for Boncath FC and the Pembrokeshire Schools under nine team, and he is a very keen Manchester United supporter who would love to meet Marcus Rashford and Dan James, plus Gareth Bale, of course.
 
It goes without saying that he also follows Swansea City and Wales – and would love to meet Haverfordwest County’s Ben Fawcett and Jack Wilson, who are former students at dad’s school!
 
He has also played rugby at outside half for Crymych RFC and supports The Scarlets and Wales where his favourite players are Ken Owens and Alun Wyn Jones – and has completed the ‘Iron Kids’ run during the ‘Iron Man’ weekends at Tenby, where medals are presented to everyone who took part; and Celt is rightly proud of his!
 

And finally . . .

 
Celt was nominated for the award by Elgan Vittle, the former Crymych and Narberth rugby player who is now involved as at Ysgol y Preseli and another family friend. He presented the Chairman’s Award to Celt, who was understandably as pleased as punch.

Elgan told us,
“Celt has shown a determination beyond his age in wanting to help these very good causes and the amount raised shows the support he had from his family and the local community.
 
“He is a lovely boy and it is wonderful that he has received this sort of recognition, which is fully deserved.”
 
We could pay Celt Edwards no higher praise but we would like to add our congratulations to him on this terrific recognition.