A Criccieth woman whose son was just eight days old when he died has been “blown away” by people’s generosity after an appeal she was part of raised £430,860 in just 60 hours.

Tŷ Hafan’s Every Precious Life Appeal ended at 10pm on Tuesday, 25 November. The target was smashed at 8pm that evening with an extra £30,000 raised by the time the match-funding window ended at 10pm that night.

The appeal focused on stories of families who have experienced baby loss and who are being supported by Tŷ Hafan.

Gwenno George, who together with her husband, Luke Nicholas, shared their son Emrys’ story, said: “We are blown away by everyone’s support, kindness and generosity during the appeal. Every pound donated has meant so much to us, and I know that it will have such a huge positive impact on the wonderful work of Tŷ Hafan. Diolch o galon i bawb.

“It has been a privilege to share Emrys’ story as part of the appeal, and I am so, so proud of our son.

“I would do anything to hold Emrys again and tell him of the huge impact that he has had, but I know that he’s smiling somewhere.”

Gwenno, who lives in Cardiff but is from Criccieth, added: “Finally, thank you to all the wonderful staff and volunteers that have worked so tirelessly on the campaign and continue to do so, their dedication is an inspiration to us all.  

“Throughout the appeal, I have been thinking so much about all the children and their families that haven’t had the opportunity to be supported by Tŷ Hafan, hopefully this is a small step in the right direction of reaching more families and amazing children.”

Emrys was born on March 6 2024 at 25 weeks and three days, after a long IVF journey. At five days old, Gwenno and Luke had a call from NICU to say Emrys had a bleed on his brain. He died three days later.

Tŷ Hafan has supported the family ever since.

Dan Bamsey, Head of Fundraising at Tŷ Hafan, said: “Once again, our amazing supporters have blown us away with their kindness and generosity.

“Thanks to them, we have raised a staggering £430,860 which means we’ll be able to help more children with life-shortening conditions and their families, like Gwenno’s.

“We’ve had so many people support us to reach our target from our amazing appeal champions, through to community groups, companies, trusts and individuals from across South, Mid and West Wales. We thank each and every one of them from the bottom of our hearts.

Mr Bamsey said he was grateful to Gwenno and her husband Luke, and Merthyr Tydfil mum Kathy who lost her son Tommy, for “their incredible bravery” in sharing their stories.

“Without them, we could not have done this,” he added.

“Finally if you missed the match-funding window, don’t worry! Any donation made at any time to Tŷ Hafan will still have a massive impact. Because no family should have to live their child’s short life alone.”