Broken toaster sparks maternity unit cash appeal
A BROKEN toaster on a maternity ward has sparked a major fundraising effort to bring mothers and their babies closer together.
When a new mum took to social media to tell how the toaster wasn’t working at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, it prompted mother-of-four Manon Williams to begin raising cash.
Withing 24 hours Llifon ward had a new toaster, and the appeal has now raised more than £1,000, enough to buy three socalled “cuddle cots” which allow mothers to sleep near their babies – making it easier to breastfeed and for mums to bond with their newborns.
Manon, of Bethesda, said: “The fishtankstyle cots they have are not ideal as the baby is too far away and it can be difficult.
“The first hours of a baby’s life are so precious, it is a time where closeness, bonding and feeding is super important.
“I arranged a meeting with a few mums who were interested in helping with fund- raising and we decided to try to raise £1,200 to buy two cots initially for the maternity unit at Ysbyty Gwynedd.
“We set up a fund called Love and Comfort Maternity Fund (Cronfa Mamolaeth Cariad a Chysur), and the healthcare charity Awyr Las agreed to work with us.”
The first fundraising event was a 10-mile pram push and picnic which raised just over £1,000.
Mother-of-five Annette Weston, of Pwll- heli, then came up with the idea to encourage Facebook users to post a picture of something that represents love to them, using the hashtag #loveandcomfort #cariadachysur and donate £3 to the cause.
With this they were able to raise another £400, bringing their total to £1,488.75.
Manon added: “We hope the new cots allow all mothers, specifically those who have had a caesarean, to bond and be close to their baby without the difficulty and logistical issues with having their baby five feet away in a high up plastic crib.”
Sharon Breward MBE, infant feeding coordinator, said: “Our Breastfeeding Peer Support volunteer mums do a fantastic job supporting new mothers across North Wales.
“We really appreciate their efforts to raise funds for a new toaster for the unit in Ysbyty Gwynedd and look forward to working with them on their new project of funding the new cots.”