NHS Wales charities: Record-breaking funding in pandemic

David Lewis, 54, died last year; he had been diagnosed with cancer for the first time when he was 16

There was "record-breaking" fundraising during the pandemic for hospitals and health boards across Wales, a charity has said.

NHS Charities Together generated £160m and helped to fund 416 projects across Wales during the Covid pandemic.

Annmarie Thomas, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, raised nearly £17,000 for an NHS charity in memory of her brother David Lewis.

"We feel incredibly proud but also emotional," she said.

The 54-year-old farmer, known locally as Dai Coed Cyw, died of lung cancer last year. He spent his final days at Ty Bryngwyn hospice in Llanelli.

Ms Thomas said fundraising was always important to her family, who had been involved with NHS services for many years.

Annmarie Thomas, who lost her brother less than a year ago, says it is still "very raw"

"We have always been busy raising money because David initially had a diagnosis of cancer when he was 16 and went through a very difficult time," she said.

"In his words, he was blessed with an extra 36 years, and he asked me to promise him that we would continue to raise money after his death."

With the help of family, friends and the local community, she kept her promise to David by raising nearly £17,000 for the Hywel Dda Health Charities.

It is one of about 250 of its kind across the UK - a source of funding for services and activities which the NHS cannot normally provide.

They do not fund statutory or mandatory services and activities, but help with what they describe as "the extras", such as equipment and the improvement of the environment.

'I wanted to do some good'

David's nephew Lewis Thomas, 14, joined the fundraising for Ty Bryngwyn by selling hand-knitted Easter chicks made by the local Women's Institute and chocolate at a supermarket in Pontyberem.

"I wanted to help," Lewis said. "After my uncle died, when he was in this hospital and it treated him well and I wanted to do some good for the charity and raise money to remember him."

David was also a supporter of the local Young Farmers Club (YFC), which organised a tractor run in his memory.

The YFC's Ioan Harries said: "A few farming families have had members of their families in Ty Bryngwyn and say it has been a godsend, so we helped raise money for the hospice in memory of David and everybody else who has used the service."

Ty Bryngwyn is one of the several organisations supported by Hywel Dda Health Charities

Hywel Dda Health Charities used funds from its Covid appeal for a new initiative. It aimed to respond to the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on ethnic minority groups and respond to inequalities in access to healthcare in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

"We are so grateful to the support we get from charities like the the Ty Bryngwyn hospice appeal and the NHS charities," said Owain Prys Thomas, a palliative care consultant at Ty Bryngwyn.

"It helps to go the extra mile and help improve the patient and carer experience."