Bereaved couple raise nearly £10k to help new mums
A COUPLE from Lampeter have raised nearly £10,000 for maternity and bereavement services across West Wales.
Clare Last and Gareth Morgan-isaac wanted to help after sadly losing their baby daughter Mari-leisa Jen, who was stillborn.
The donation to Hywel Dda Health Charities has funded nearly 3,000 special pregnancy advice wallets which will be given to mums-to-be across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
The bilingual wallets are a visual aid, giving healthy pregnancy tips on staying active, eating well and keeping appointments, along with advice on monitoring the pattern of baby’s movements.
Clare is pictured here with her 21-month-old daughter Leisi-jen, her mum Joanne Last and the new wallets.
Clare and Gareth have donated a cuddle cot to Carmarthen’s Glangwili Hospital to help parents bereaved by stillbirth or neonatal loss to spend precious time with their babies at home before laying them to rest. They have also donated two more cots to funeral directors to help in the community.
The money was mainly raised through a walk up Snowdon by Clare and Gareth and their two families.
Clare, 29, who works in non-emergency patient transport for the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “The wallets are a visual aid which can be referred to at home by parents or with their midwife. They are always on hand if anyone requires reassurance or guidance on what is normal in a pregnancy or if they need to voice any concerns. I hope mums-to-be and new mums will see the benefit of having the wallets and their important information and reassurance.”
Clare added: “When we lost Marileisa, that time at home with her in a cuddle cot was so precious. It enabled us to make special memories that we’ll never forget.
“We are extremely pleased to be able to purchase three to help other families. It means so much.
“We hope the wallets will enable mums-to-be and new mums to have important information in one place.”
Sharon Clement Thomas, interim deputy head of midwifery, said: “Hywel Dda Maternity Service would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to Clare, Gareth and their families who have fundraised and donated a considerable sum of money in memory of Mari-leisa Jen.
“This money has been used to purchase pregnancy advice wallets containing information to help keep pregnant women and their babies safe during their pregnancy.
“In addition to this generous donation, Clare has also kindly purchased a cuddle cot for Glangwili Hospital.
“These temperature-controlled cots prove invaluable to bereaved families, allowing them to spend precious time with their babies, creating memories that they will cherish.”