A WELSH speaker from Llanwrtyd Wells will take a “once in a lifetime trip” to Patagonia later this year, to visit the area of Argentina where Welsh settlers first arrived more than 150 years ago.

Sarah Jones is using her South American pilgrimage to raise money for the Marie Curie charity, which provides care and support to people living with terminal illness.

Sarah, 48, is heading to Argentina on November 18, but before that she is embarking on a slightly shorter pilgrimage this weekend as part of her fundraising efforts.

On Saturday, July 16, she’ll be walking 33 miles, from Brecon to Cwmbran, along the Monmouth and Brecon canal.

She has already raised £2,762 of her £4,000 target, with donations coming in from all sources, including a walk in nearby Abergwesyn earlier this year, a generous £500 from the Abergwesyn-based Cefnmaes Charity, a bucket collection at Co-op supermarkets in Builth and Llandovery, as well as a calendar Sarah created herself.

“I will be travelling in November with the charity Marie Curie to Patagonia, to the area that the first Welsh settlers arrived over 100 years ago,” said Sarah, who works for the Welsh Government.

“It feels real at last, after a couple of years of not knowing.”

Native Welsh speaker Sarah was brought up on tales of Welsh families who left their homeland to make a new life on the other side of the world in the mid-19th century, with Welsh people first starting to arrive in Patagonia in 1865. They had migrated to protect their native Welsh culture and language, which they considered to be threatened in their home country.

“While there, I will be trekking for 5 days along the Chubut River, the Los Rifleros track to Cwm Hyfryd, with the snow-capped Andes in the distance,” added Sarah.

“I will also visit Trevelin and the school in Escuela, and the Welsh speaking community, which I’m particularly looking forward too, being a Welsh speaker myself.

“In Escuela we will also get a chance to meet members of the local Welsh society.

“We’ll be travelling to Piedra Parada and Patagonia Steppe, as well as Rio de la Horquesta and Estancia Saucal and each night we will camp.

“Before we head back to Buenos Aires we will visit Gaiman and have breakfast at the famous tea house in Trelew.

“Part of the requirement to be able to go on this once in a lifetime trip is that I fundraise for the charity and over the last year I have organised events and created a calendar for sale.

“At last I’ll get a chance to visit the area while at the same time raising money for a well deserving charity that gives so much support to people in our community.”

For more on Sarah’s fundraising efforts, or to donate, you can visit her JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sarah-jones2021.