Thanks to your donations, Hywel Dda Health Charities has been able to purchase keepsake items to help bereaved families after their loved ones pass away in hospital.

Emma Haycocks, Manager of Hywel Dda’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), said this new initiative would be a help for families who have lost loved ones, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Families of patients across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire will be offered keepsakes of their loved ones such as hand prints and a lock of hair in memory bags, and we are now able to provide canvas bereavement bags for the return of loved ones’ property,” Emma said. “These items will be especially important if families were not able to be with their loved one when they passed away.

“This initiative will be offered not just in our four main hospitals, but also in our community hospitals as well.

“The canvas bags are much more personal than the property bags that have been used in the past. We hope that being able to return belongings in a respectful and caring way may make that moment a little bit easier.”