Pembrokeshire health campaigner has ‘brilliant’ day at the Senedd

Brilliant” that was how 8 year old Elly Neville described her day at the Senedd celebrating her fundraising achievements organised by a Mid and West AM’s team.

Elly Neville and her family visited the Senedd following her successful campaign for improved cancer services with the refurbishment and upgrading of Ward 10 at Withybush Hospital.

She met with Assembly Members representing communities from across Wales; members from different parties and an independent member.

Later in the day she heard Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas, whose office organised the visit, talk about her campaign during First Minister’s Questions.

Mid and West AM Simon Thomas said: It’s been a delight today to welcome Elly Neville to the Assembly, and many Assembly Members have met her. She’s raised nearly £160,000 now, as a six and seven-year-old, for Ward 10 cancer treatment in Withybush, and I’m sure you’ll join me in a minute, First Minister, hopefully, in thanking her for her efforts.

“But what it really underlines, of course, is how important those services are to local communities and how committed communities are to them. You told me last week that, in the options being considered for Hywel Dda, you as a Government and you as a First Minister had no preference. Wouldn’t it be better, therefore, if your own Assembly Members did not campaign for or against some of these options, but let the public have that wider consultation and then take some decisions in the cold of light of day, with good clinical evidence to date with that, and with the best evidence possible from the health Cabinet Secretary around the availability of funding also?”

First Minister Carwyn Jones replied: “Firstly, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Elly before, and it’s wonderful to welcome her back to this building. She’s done a fantastic job in raising so much money, and it’s great to know that she’s here. Secondly, if it were the case that no AMs were going to campaign in any way with regard to Hywel Dda’s consultation, it might be a level playing field, but I suspect that’s going a little bit too far in terms of what to expect. Backbench Labour AMs are free, of course, to represent their communities; that’s why they are there. There are more restrictions, of course, on those in Government, naturally, but I’m sure that all AMs who live in the Hywel Dda area will make their views known as part of the consultation.”

After winning a competition at her school, Pembroke Dock Community School to design a collage of the Pembrokeshire flag, Elly and her family embarked on a fundraising campaign for Ward 10 at Withybush Hospital. Elly’s father had previously been a patient on Ward 10 where he received chemotherapy treatment following a bone marrow transplant.

It was the dedicated staff and facilities of Ward 10 that provided care, support and life-saving treatment during his recovery and the funds raised by Elly’s appeal will go towards the refurbishment and upgrade of Ward 10 to make it once again a dedicated cancer ward.

Elly’s Flag Appeal started its campaign in April 2015 and in October 2015 it was adopted as an official appeal of Hywel Dda Health Charities. By August 2016 the Appeal had raised £29,000 and, just 3 years from its inception, the figure has reached £159,000.