A Llanelli baby boy who spent six weeks in intensive care has helped bring £5,000 to the charity that fed him when his mum couldn’t.
Enzo was born nine weeks early in April 2025, weighing just a fraction of a full-term baby. During his six weeks in the neonatal unit at Singleton Hospital, Swansea, he relied on donor breast milk supplied by Hearts Milk Bank Wales – a service that helps premature and critically ill babies whose mothers cannot yet produce enough milk of their own.
Now, thanks to a nomination by his grandmother Danna Wookey, Store Manager at the Llanelli cardfactory branch, the charity has been awarded £5,000 through the cardfactory Foundation Community Fund. Enzo’s mum, Katie, works at the same store as a Team Leader.
“The donated milk helped Enzo grow stronger while he was in special care,” Katie said. “We will always be grateful to the donors and everyone involved in making this service possible. It really does make a life-changing difference.”
Danna, who nominated the charity, said the experience showed her first-hand how much support families need during a NICU stay. “Having a baby early or a baby who is sick is one of the scariest experiences a family can go through,” she said. “Knowing Enzo was getting the nutrients he needed helped us through such a difficult time.”
Ellie Saltrick, Fund Manager at cardfactory Foundation, said: “We were moved by Danna and Katie’s story and the impact Hearts Milk Bank Wales has had on their family. Stories like this show the incredible difference local charities make every day, and we’re proud to help them continue supporting babies and families across Wales.”
Hearts Milk Bank Wales relies on donor breast milk which is donated by mothers with surplus milk to their own baby’s needs. They also support mothers who wish to donate their milk after bereavement, in memory of their baby, as a poignant gift to help other families. All donated milk is pasteurised and screened at the milk bank, and is then supplied to vulnerable babies in hospital neonatal units and families in the community who cannot provide their own milk to feed their babies, such as mothers with cancer and other health conditions.
Felicity Webster, Director of Communications at the charity said: “We are so grateful to cardfactory Foundation for this generous grant, and we owe a huge thank you to Danna for nominating us. This vital funding will enable us to continue providing safe, screened donor human milk to more tiny babies like Enzo, supporting families through the most challenging times and helping save lives.”
The grant was presented at the Llanelli store in July 2026 where Danna, Katie and 14 month Enzo were joined by Ellie Saltrick, Fund Manager at cardfactory Foundation.
