Special Swans thank you to Cwtsh Clos fundraisers
A family has scored a big thank you from the Swans for helping Swansea Bay Health Charity with a fundraising goal close to their hearts.
Rhys and Gemma Davies have donated nearly £4,000 towards the health board’s official charity’s Cwtsh Clos appeal - which aims to raise £160,000 to refurbish five homes for families with sick and tiny babies in Singleton Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) - after the unit treated their baby son, Deio, last year.
Deio was transferred to NICU after he was born in Carmarthen’s Glangwili Hospital not breathing.
Thankfully he recovered and is a ‘good as gold’ 15-month-old today but the family has never forgotten the care they all received, so set about fundraising.
Now, as a thank you for their efforts, the family were invited along to a Swans home friendly against Portuguese side Rio Ave with Deio’s two sisters being chosen as mascots for the day.
The move follows Swansea City AFC choosing the Cwtsh Clos appeal as their official charity partner for the 2024-25 season after musician and Swans matchday lounge host, Mal Pope, backed the appeal in memory of his grandson Gulliver, who was cared for in NICU.
Rhys Davies said: “My son Deio was born not breathing in Glangwili Hospital and we spent 10 days and nine nights in NICU in Singleton Hospital.
“He’s 15 months now and good as gold.”
As they live in Llandovery the family knows only too well how important the Cwtsh Clos accommodation is to those who don’t live nearby.
Rhys said: “We actually stayed in a room off the unit and decided to raise some money to say thank you.
“Travelling back and forth from Llandovery would have been a killer. Probably an hour and a half each way.
“We were able to go in any time of day to check on him, so it was brilliant.
“If you had to go home every night it wouldn’t be easy.
“Obviously, you are very worried. I was waking up some mornings at half past three and was able to go and just hold his hand for a bit. It’s little things like that. Unless you have been in the situation you won’t know how much it means.”
Pictured left: Lee Trundle with Ellie and Leila
The family fundraising included auctioning off a Grogg of All Black rugby legend Ritchie McCaw, and being supported by a Burry Port golf day and Llandovery RFC who made a £2,000 donation from its Ladies’ Day.
Rhys said: “A lot of people have chipped in. It’s nice that they recognise what we went through. You never know what part of your family may need what we needed.”
The thank you from the Swans, organised by the health board, came as a surprise.
Rhys said: “We received a phone call the Monday before the game on the Saturday. Deio was too young, he’s only 15 months, so my two daughters were mascots on the field. Ellie Haf, who’s 12, and Leila, who’s seven.
“We were hosted by Kev Johns and Lee Trundle, two lovely guys, who made an effort with the girls and Deio.
“They were all treated like royalty. They were given the new kit and they had goodie bags. Then they were whisked away to meet the players. Every single player signed their autograph books which they were given on the day.
“All the players were very welcoming, asking them how school was going and where they were from. They had a heck of a day. Something they will remember forever.
“We appreciate being thought of. We are very lucky.”
Despite doing so much already the family hasn’t ruled out further fundraising.
Rhys said: “We’re not ruling out any future fundraising as we will forever be in their debt and we know how important it is.
“It was brilliant for us at a very bad time.
“We’ve come out the other end smiling but for a lot of people it goes the other way.
“It’s very much needed.”
Swansea Bay Health Charity fundraising officer, Cathy Stevens, said: “When Swansea City approached us to ask if we knew of anyone who’d like to be a mascot, we instantly thought of the Davies family.
“To date, they have raised £3,800, which is a fantastic amount.
“Little Deio was treated like royalty by the Swans, and his big sisters were thrilled to be on the field.
“It’s a wonderful feeling when you are able to give something back to say thank you for all their hard work.”
If you would like to give an online donation to Cwtsh Clos, you can do that by clicking here.
To make a donation using your phone, please text 'Donate Swanseabayhealth homes' to 88802.
If you would like to fundraise for us yourself, or hold a fundraising event, please visit our JustGiving page for Cwtsh Clos here, where you will find more information.
You can also visit our Cwtsh Clos webpage for more information about the NICU centre and the fundraising appeal.
Thank you for your support!
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We welcome correspondence and telephone calls in Welsh or English. Welsh language correspondence will be replied to in Welsh, and this will not lead to a delay. This page is available in Welsh by clicking ‘Cymraeg’ at the top right of this page.
Swansea Bay Health Charity
Are you interested in raising money to support NHS services in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot? Did you know that Swansea Bay University Health Board has its own fundraising charity?