Aberystwyth Town Football Club goalkeeper coach Dave Owen has presented a £3,230 cheque to the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Glangwili Hospital after he and his friends took part in the 112-mile cycle at Long Course Weekend Wales in Tenby in June.

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.

“Although we’ll never be able to fully show how grateful we are for everything they have done for our family, I had wanted to try and give something back for some time.”

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 thank you to Dave for taking part in the epic cycle at Long Course Weekend 2024 to raise funds for the unit.

“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.”