Nine year old Elly Neville from Pembroke Dock can be incredibly proud of her fundraising efforts having reached a fantastic milestone of £200,000 to help improve the patient environment on Ward 10 at Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest.

The Ward 10 Flag Appeal’s success is as a result of Elly and the Neville family’s tireless fundraising efforts over the past four years.

The Appeal has had enormous support from the local community, as well as many celebrities who have helped bring the fundraising to this fantastic amount for the ward that treated Elly’s father, Lyn Neville after a bone marrow transplant in 2005. Elly felt inspired to raise money to help refurbish the ward that helped her dad's recovery.

Elly said: “It is loads of money and I am happy that we can help lots of patients on Ward 10. I still hope they get some plumpy cushions and fluffy blankets.”

Elly's dad, Lyn added: "We are very proud and totally amazed to have raised over £200,000 for Ward 10 and cancer services in Pembrokeshire. It has been a journey of four-and-a-half years hard work and we want to thank anyone who has supported and encouraged us in any way. Pembrokeshire will now have superb day and inpatient facilities for cancer patients and all the campaigning and fundraising over many years will have been worth it.”

Joe Teape, Deputy CEO & Director of Operations at Hywel Dda University Health Board commented: "I wish to express my immense gratitude to Elly and her family on this fantastic fundraising effort. We are all very proud of Elly's extraordinary achievements and for her part in helping our patients feel more comfortable while in hospital. Thank you so much!”

Nicola Zroud, Senior Sister on Ward 10 said: "This is an amazing achievement and, thanks to Elly's Ward 10 Flag Appeal, we can provide a much improved environment for our patients. We are now discussing with the family and the team on Ward 10 how best to utilise the funds raised. Well done and thank you Elly."

Ward 10 is currently being refurbished and modernised to provide a better purpose-built inpatient facility in which to care for designated oncology and haematology patients, and those with complex palliative care needs.

Wards 9 and 10 were recently visited by the Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething; the Neville family; and Mansell Bennett and Helen Pinnell-Williams from the Community Health Council to meet staff and see how the building work is shaping up. Ward 10 patients are currently being cared for in the repurposed Ward 9 area whilst the building works on Ward 10 are carried out.

Whilst the majority of funding for the development is provided by Welsh Government, more than £500,000 of charitable donations are contributing to the scheme from the health board’s Pembrokeshire Cancer Services Fund and Elly’s Ward 10 Flag Appeal.

Mr Teape added: “We’re so excited to see the excellent progress being made with this important development for the hospital. We continue to be very grateful to our Pembrokeshire communities and particularly to our local charities and fundraisers for their support and generosity over recent years.”

The fully refurbished designated oncology, haematology and palliative care ward is anticipated to reopen at the end the year.

For the latest news and updates from Hywel Dda University Health Board visit

www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk