Aberystwyth Town Football Club goalkeeper coach Dave Owen and his friends will be taking part in the 112-mile cycle at Long Course Weekend Wales in Tenby in June to raise funds for the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Glangwili Hospital.
Dave’s youngest daughter, Erin, spent almost month in the SCBU when she was born.
Dave, from Llanrhystud, said: “The Special Care Baby Unit supported Erin with some of the challenges she faced in her early days.
“Erin was born early in unexpected circumstances and initially required assistance to breathe and needed to be monitored by numerous machines.
“She spent over two weeks in an incubator, with the fantastic nurses and ward staff providing continual care whilst they looked into some of her health needs.
“Even though Erin continues to attend numerous hospital and doctor appointments, the time she spent in SCBU has given her the best start that she could have had.
“Because of these amazing people, Erin has grown into a happy, playful and caring little girl, and although there may be some tricky paths ahead for her, they would be far bumpier if not for the care of the unit.
“We’ll forever be grateful for the care and support that Erin received during the month she spent on SCBU, as well as the compassion they all showed Lowri, Eleri and myself in what was an extremely difficult time.
“Though we’ll never be able to fully show how grateful we are for everything they have done for our family, we would like to give something back.
“One thing we can do is support them to continue to do their invaluable work, so on 22 June myself and a few friends will be taking part in the 112 mile cycle as part of Long Course Weekend Event in Tenby in order to raise money for the ward.
“The goal is to raise £2,000, with all the funds going towards SCBU to help enable them to continue their amazing work with other vulnerable and unwell newborn babies in the area.
“Though the target may be seem high, I'm hoping that I can get as close to this as possible, with any help towards this target massively appreciated.”
Aberystwyth Town wished the club stalwart good luck in his fund-raising challenge on social media, with the fund-raising currently standing at more than £1,000.
Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “We’d like to say a huge good luck to Dave and his friends in the cycle at Long Course Weekend 2024.
“The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”
The Long Course Weekend Wales the biggest multi-sport festival in Europe and attracts more than 11,000 athletes and 35,000 supporters.
For information and to donate, visit Dave’s Just Giving page.