A £1,500 gift from Aberystwyth Cemetery & Crematorium will help create invaluable precious memories for children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.

The donation was made to The Wish Fund, one of Hywel Dda Health Charities’ fundraising campaigns, which was launched in May 2022 to support the paediatric palliative care service within Hywel Dda University Health Board.

The Wish Fund helps the paediatric palliative care service to create lasting memories for the children, young people and families they support.

The donation was made from the crematorium’s metal recycling scheme.

With the consent of families, metals recovered during cremation are recycled, and any money raised is used to support selected charities, local activities and environmental initiatives which benefit the communities that the crematorium serves. Each year, Westerleigh crematoriums across the UK donate in a region of £500,000 to charities and charitable causes through our metal recycling scheme

Aberystwyth Cemetery & Crematorium is part of Westerleigh Group, one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of crematoria and cemeteries, with 40 sites in England, Scotland, and Wales, all set within beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.

Rachel Brown, Paediatric Palliative Care Play Specialist, said: “The Wish Fund provides us with opportunities to give that little extra to our patients and families which are beyond NHS expenditure.

“These include fantastic group activities and family day trips, therapeutic play toys to help young patients process what they are experiencing, and wellbeing resources for families and young siblings.

“A big thank you to Aberystwyth Cemetery & Crematorium for choosing to support the Wish Fund and for their fantastic donation, it means we can continue to create lasting memories which will be cherished forever.”

Rachel Harrison, manager of Aberystwyth Cemetery & Crematorium, said: “The Wish Fund supports and comforts families in our communities during extremely difficult times, which is something that resonates with us.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be able to support an organisation which provides these families with some incredibly precious memories, which they will treasure forever.”