Queen invites fundraising Super-mum to Palace

NEATH, Wales - April 16, 2014 - PRLog -- The Queen has invited Neath business owner, Cerys Llewellyn-Bevan, to Buckingham Palace Garden Party.

Mother of two, Llewellyn-Bevan received the surprise letter from Her Majesty in recognition of her charitable fundraising efforts. She was nominated by the Lord Lieutenant of Swansea.

Mrs Llewellyn-Bevan has raised more than £10,000 for charities including Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice in Cardiff and the British Heart Foundation after running multiple races over the last four years including the Swansea 10k, Paris Marathon, the Virgin London Marathon, the Great North Run and the Mont Blanc half marathon.

“I’m over the moon,” said Llewellyn-Bevan. “I really didn’t expect it and feel honoured people have taken the time to nominate me and put me in their thoughts.”

Mrs Llewellyn-Bevan, who runs the Kip McGrath Wales after-school teaching franchise, juggles running her own business with training for endurance events and bringing up two teenage children.

Mrs Llewellyn-Bevan gave up her career as a teacher to run her own business after her son, Sam, was diagnosed at birth with rare heart condition Tetralogy of Fallots and needed open heart surgery at 10 months old. Repeated hospital visits and caring for Sam, meant she needed more flexibility during the working day and set up Kip McGrath Neath, which has grown to now tutor over 100 children.

In 2011, having never previously run a mile in her life, Llewellyn-Bevan took on the challenge of raising money for charity by running the Paris Marathon for Tŷ Hafan. She first ran the London Marathon a year later for the British Heart Foundation.

Mrs Llewellyn-Bevan and her husband Colin Bevan will be rubbing shoulders with Her Majesty and other royalty, along with other deserving nominees, at the official garden party on Wednesday 21 May.