A CENTRE that cares for sick children will be able to hold their first Christmas party in three years thanks to money raised by a Barry couple.

Katie and Andrew Smith raised an amazing £4,875 for the Children’s Community Nursing Service (CCNS) based at the Children’s Centre at University Hospital Llandough (UHL).

As well being used to purchase sensory equipment for the children, for arts and crafts materials and activities, it will also fund a Christmas Party for the children this December.

Katie Smith, Healthcare Support Worker at the Children’s Centre, and her husband Andrew came up with the idea to host a black tie event at Cardiff City Stadium.

The event attracted 193 attendees and raised more than £2000 in raffle tickets alone.

Katie said: "We set out to raise a few hundred pounds to give the CCNS children and their families a party which they very much deserve.

“From the support and generosity of everyone involved the scale of our event was bigger and better than we ever anticipated.

“We personally would like to thank everyone who gave their time, effort and donations. We are looking forward to planning our next fundraising event."

The CCNS based at UHL provides nursing care to children with continuing healthcare needs, in their home, in schools and at Saturday Club. The team currently provide care to approximately 60 children across the region.

Dawn Daniel, Acting Team Manager at the Children’s Centre said: “Our team work so closely with the children and families that access the service and build great relationships with them so it is such a bonus that we have raised this money which can help the team provide the service and those little extras that mean a lot to the children.

“For the last two years we have been unable to hold a Christmas celebration and this now means this year we host a special party for them.

“The event also enabled our staff to celebrate the good work they do in the local community.”