16 April 2011

  A powerful, captivating S4C series following the epic racing challenge of athlete and presenter Lowri Morgan in the Amazon Jungle has won the prestigious ‘Spirit of the Festival’ Award at the 2011 Celtic Media Festival.

The four-part series Ras yn Erbyn Amser (translation: Race Against Time) won the much cherished award at the festival held in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.

A P.O.P.1 production for S4C, the four-part series follows Lowri as she takes on the ultimate challenge of completing the Jungle Marathon in the Amazon, the world’s most difficult race.

At the Celtic Media Festival, the ‘Spirit of the Festival’ award is given to a television programme or film of outstanding quality which has been wholly or largely made in a Celtic language.

The series, which was broadcast on S4C at the beginning of 201o, soon after Lowri completed the marathon, follows her as she prepares and trains and completes the seven-day 222km race in the searing heat and challenging conditions of the Amazon Jungle.

Meirion Davies, S4C’s Director of Commissioning said: “The series Ras yn Erbyn Amser captures Lowri Morgan’s remarkable determination and commitment as she pushed the boundaries of her body and mind to the extreme in the jungle. We warmly congratulate Lowri and the production team for capturing this epic challenge in a powerful narrative and in doing so captivating the S4C audience. The Spirit of the Festival award is a fitting award indeed for Lowri’s achievement.”

Since completing the Jungle Marathon, the 35-year-old athlete, born and bred in Swansea and now living in Cardiff, has completed another epic racing challenge, the 6633 Ultra Race in the Arctic.

The cameras of P.O.P.1 followed this race too and the second series of Ras yn Erbyn Amser has just been broadcast on S4C.

Lowri Morgan said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to receive the 2011 Celtic Media Festival’s highest honour. I’m extremely grateful and appreciate it very much.

“Just as with the jungle and the Arctic ultra marathons, receiving this award is a deeply humbling experience. It's humbling to be recognised for something I love doing – producing television programmes, pushing personal boundaries and finding new ones. But I couldn’t have won this award without the support, help, belief and perseverance of producer Dafydd Rhys, P.O.P.1 and the team at S4C.”

This success means that S4C won three awards in total at this year’s festival.

A documentary about the world-famous male voice choir Only Men Aloud, Only Men Aloud - O Dredegar Newydd i Efrog Newydd (A Boomerang+ production) won the top award in the Arts category.

The colourful S4C trailer promoting the Channel’s cricket and rugby coverage by depicting cricket umpires performing the ’haka’ won the award in the Best Marketing Campaign category.