A BAKE sale at Prestatyn High School this week raised more than £200 for the leading UK charity for babies born premature or sick.

The event, which brought in exactly £221.53 for the charity ‘Bliss’, took place on Wednesday, November 17 to coincide with World Prematurity Day, a global movement to raise awareness of premature birth and the sometimes devastating impact it can have on families.

It was organised by Jenny Henning, who gave birth to Lyla and Noah six weeks early in August 2019 at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Rhyl, with both encountering a range of health problems, and was helped by her daughter, Evelyn, a student at Prestatyn High School.

The bake sale also included a raffle, with all prizes donated from businesses in the area, and Jenny was delighted by how successful the event proved to be.

Jenny said: “The fundraiser was a great success; Evelyn worked hard on our stall and we raised more than anticipated.

“All of the pupils I met were extremely polite and were happy to help support our cause, and Evelyn received an award of excellence.

“The donated prizes were exceptional; I cannot thank our local businesses enough for their generosity.”

A great amount of cakes for the bake sale were donated by Jenny’s brother, Kevin, who works for the Bright Blue Foods (BBF) cake manufacturer in Hull.

The bake sale itself was just one of numerous fundraisers Jenny and her family are currently taking on in aid of Bliss this month, including a ‘wear purple (Bliss’ charity colour) day’ and a 300,000-step November challenge.

For Halloween this year, they built a scarecrow which was then given a ‘Bliss makeover’ with a t-shirt, face mask and poorly pumpkin babies, while Jenny also received a letter from Gareth Davies, Vale of Clwyd MS, congratulating her families’ efforts and offering his best wishes for their fundraising.

Jenny added: “BBF kindly donated an extraordinary amount of cakes; the boxes we didn't sell have been donated to our local neonatal ward.

“It was lovely to give a little token of gratitude directly to the doctors and nurses who personally cared for Lyla and Noah.

“My lovely brother Kevin has once again gone above and beyond to support us. As well as arranging the cake donations, he drove them to us all the way from Hull.

“He is also taking part in the step challenge and has been sharing my donation link, helping us to raise even more money and awareness for Bliss.”

Every day, 300 babies are admitted to neonatal units around the UK, while Bliss estimates that roughly 60,000 babies (one in 13) are born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) in the UK each year.

Last month, Jenny told the Journal: “Lyla and Noah had a really difficult start in life, coming six weeks early with a long list of medical issues.

“Both had had jaundice and thyroid issues, low birth weights, hearing issues, cow's milk protein allergies and respiratory distress - Noah had to go on a ventilator and have artificial surfactant placed in his lungs.

“Noah had anaemia and silent reflux, and Lyla has talipes which has required casting and leg braces since she was three months old - she still wears her brace at night and will continue to do so until she is five.

“They both contracted meningitis at just five weeks old, which hit Noah particularly hard. I cannot praise Glan Clwyd Hospital enough for their ongoing care and support.

“I have received so much support from family, friends and medical professionals, and I now have four healthy, happy children; I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped us to reach this point.

“We have received support from many organisations over the past couple of years including Women's Aid, MIND and Barnardo’s, and I want to do whatever I can to give something back, so this seems like a good place to start.”

Bliss aims to help every baby born premature or sick in the UK to benefit from its work and to give them the best chance of survival and quality of life.

You can donate to Jenny’s online fundraiser page by visiting: www.facebook.com/donate/199877825470877.