A nationwide charity that offers support for bereaved parents held a special event last Saturday morning at the Wiseman's Bridge Inn, releasing 254 yellow balloons in memory of all the babies who died before they were 28 days old or were stillborn in 2004. Held to signify the launch of SANDS awareness week, the charity's local representative, Donna Tooth, who lives in Wiseman's Bridge, was on hand to see that the balloon release went well. "There were a lot of people who attended the launch, coming from areas such as Aberaeron, Swansea, Cardiff and even as far as Birmingham and London," said Donna. "People were so generous with their donations over the weekend, helping to raise so much money for the SANDS charity. "We sold tags that were attached to the balloons that bereaved parents had written a message on for their babies. We also sold 50 yellow wristbands over the weekend, and have had to order more from head office as they were so much in demand," she continued. Other places where balloon releases were held on Saturday for SANDS were Wrexham, London, Glasgow and Portadown in Northern Ireland. Donna hopes that the launch and awareness week will bring SANDS to the attention of more parents throughout Wales. "Saturday was a very productive day for the organisation in this part of Wales, as I made a lot of contact with different people and hope that before long we will have got a support group together for the area. "I'd also like to say thanks to the Kemble family for allowing us to hold the balloon release at the Wiseman's Bridge Inn and hope to make this an annual event," added Donna. Anyone interested in contacting the SANDS group in the South Wales area can speak to their representative, Donna Tooth, on 07917 466352 or alternatively contact the support group's head office in London on 020 74367940. There is also a website available at http://www.uk">www.uk- sands.org