A GYM in Mochdre which held free “spinning” classes for an entire day last weekend has raised £2,500 and counting for those suffering in Ukraine.

Alexandra Huffen, owner of Oxygen Gym, started spinning at 12am on Sunday, April 3, and led one-hour classes throughout the day.

Spinning involves indoor cycling on a stationary bike, with a particular onus on endurance, strength, intervals, high intensity and recovery.

The money raised will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, via the British Red Cross.

Alexandra, owner of the gym, which is known for its “spin studio”, since it was established in 2017, was delighted to surpass her initial target of between £1-2,000.

She said: “There were people who came every hour; the support from the Oxygen community was incredible.

“We smashed the target of £1-2,000; we’re on £2,500 now and people are still donating, which has made my day.

“I don’t think I had less than five in a class. We had full classes at 6am and 10am, and we had at least 50 coming in and out.”

It was certainly a challenging day for Alexandra, who did “all of it; I got off the bike twice to go to the toilet, so I was off the bike for about two minutes in 24 hours!”

By 12am on Monday, she said felt “massively emotional, from all of the support from everybody”.

She added: “We all had Ukraine flags and banners. Everybody’s still donating, the money’s still going up now, and I’m going to leave it running for about half a week more.

“A massive thank you from me for all the support.”

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A post by the British Red Cross, included on Alexandra’s “Spin for Ukraine” JustGiving page, said: “Following the events in Ukraine, we have launched an emergency appeal.

“Communities are bearing the brunt of eight long years of conflict. We are very concerned about the recent intensification of fighting in eastern Ukraine over the past few days.

“Even before recent developments, this is a conflict that hits people daily on personal, psychological and emotional level, bringing death, injury, separation from loved ones as well as the huge mental toll of ongoing violence and insecurity.”

The British Red Cross is aiming to:

• Repair vital infrastructure like water stations, supplying water to more than 800,000 people.

• Support small businesses with cash grants or equipment and vocational training.

• Raise awareness of mines through training and educational sessions run with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and providing mine warning signs to mark dangerous areas.

• Help repair homes, healthcare centre, schools and more.

To donate to Alexandra’s JustGiving page, go to: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alexandra-huffen.

For more on Oxygen Gym, visit: www.facebook.com/oxygennorthwales.