AN USK Pilates studio has presented £10,915.07 to St David’s Hospice Care after completing an extraordinary 24-hours Pilates challenge which brought together clients, local businesses and the community.

PT Pilates set itself an initial target of £5,000 when it announced its first 24-hour Reformerthon, which saw the studio run 24 Reformer Pilates classes over 24 consecutive hours, from 8am on Saturday September 12 until 8am the following morning.

All 144 available spaces were filled, with 144 people taking part throughout the day and night. But what began as a fundraising challenge quickly became a true community event.

The cheque was presented at PT Pilates in Usk by Jane and Lindsey on Tuesday October 6, surrounded by clients who had helped make the 24-hour challenge possible.

The overnight hours included a 1am pyjama party and a 2am neon class, while some supported fundraising even further, dressing as cows and foxes and heading into local pubs to collect donations.

Clients kept the instructors going throughout, with cocktails arriving at 8pm, cakes, sweets and homemade protein balls appearing throughout the event, and warm buttered toast being delivered at 6am by one of the participants.

Local businesses also joined in, with Olive and Wine, opposite the PT Pilates studio, delivered bottles of champagne at 2am to support the team through the night.

One of the biggest boosts to the fundraising came from PT Pilates’ £10 challenge. Clients were challenged to bring an additional £10 donation and during their class, held the £10 note between their feet while performing feet-in-straps exercises on the Reformer.

That challenge alone helped raise an incredible £1,100 on the day.

Founder Jane Gambarini said the final total had surpassed anything the team had expected.

“We hoped we could raise £5,000 so to stand here today and hand over a cheque for £10,915.07 is quite overwhelming.

“The Reformerthon became about so much more than 24 Pilates classes. It was about people coming together. Our clients were phenomenal, local businesses supported us, people dropped into simply donate, and somehow the energy kept going right through the night.

“There were moments when Lindsey and I were exhausted, but when somebody would walk through the door with toast, cake, cocktails or another donation and off we went again. It really demonstrated what an incredible community we have her in Usk.”

Jane recently attended the St David’s Hospice Care AGM, where she heart first-hand about the work carried out by the charity and from a family whose father had been supported by the hospice.

“Attending the AGM really brought home what this money means. Hearing directly about the care St David’s provides to patients and their families made me even more proud of what everyone involved at the Reformerthon achieved.

“Every person who booked a class, donated, baked something, delivered food, dressed up, collected money or simply cheered us on played a part in that £10,915.07.”