Mum's the word as NHS family hit the heights to fundraise for patients

TWO siblings working in the NHS are hitting the heights to raise money for specialist palliative care patients in Swansea Bay thanks to their mother’s inspiration.

Jack and Emily Roberts will complete a tandem skydive on 14 July as they look to meet their £1,000 fundraising target in aid of Swansea's Ty Olwen Hospice, which provides specialist palliative and end of life care.

The pair have a long affiliation with the hospice as their mum Karren has worked in Ty Olwen since 2008 and been the ward manager for the last four years.

Seeing their mum’s passion for patient care has led to Jack and Emily following in her footsteps.

Jack is an Ambulance Care Assistant at the Welsh Ambulance Service, while Emily works in cellular pathology within Singleton Hospital on an NHS placement.

Jack, 24, said: “As a huge thank you for everything Ty Olwen does and all the hard work that is put in by staff, volunteers, trustees, paramedics and the hospital team, we’d like to raise as much as possible for them.

“We are targeting £1,000, but it would be fantastic to beat that target as the hospice relies heavily on donations to keep the unit running and need to raise at least £500,000 a year.”

Emily, 21, added: “As our mum is the ward manager, we have seen first-hand the amount of compassion that is delivered into the unit. 

“She is an inspiration to us both.

"We have been around Ty Olwen all our lives and it holds a very special place in both our hearts.

“We have both gone on to work for the NHS due to the passion and empathy we have seen for patient care – we have grown up experiencing that.”

The skydive will also see Emily overcome her fear of heights, but Jack is no stranger to diving out of a plane at 15,000 feet having completed two skydives – one for Ty Olwen in 2018.

Follow the link to pledge your support to Jack and Emily: Emily Roberts is fundraising for Ty Olwen Trust (justgiving.com)