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Pupils, staff, and parents at a primary school in Caerphilly came together to raise £1,500 for a life-saving charity, in a show of support to a much-loved staff member.

In November, teaching assistant Ceinwen Goldsworthy had a stroke while working at Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili.

Her colleagues acted quickly and called 999. Two air ambulances arrived, and medics provided urgent care at the scene.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer, her colleague Amie Sullivan said the days following the incident were difficult for everyone at the school.

Mrs Sullivan, a Year 6 teacher, said: “It was quite challenging not to see her on site.”

In response, pupils decided to raise money for Wales Air Ambulance to show their appreciation for the support and care provided on the day.

One of the fundraising activities saw Year 5 pupils organise a bake sale before the Christmas period.

Ms Sullivan explained: “We create a programme every year. The money raised from the Christmas programmes, alongside collection buckets placed outside all of our Christmas assemblies, resulted in us raising £1,500 for the charity.”

Representatives from Wales Air Ambulance later visited the school to deliver a presentation on the life-saving work they do. A former air ambulance crew member spoke to pupils and taught them how to respond in an emergency.

Speaking to Caerphilly Observer, Ceinwen said she felt “so proud to be a part of the school community” after seeing the way everyone came together to show their support – and said it was “very emotional” seeing pictures of the fundraising efforts.

Ceinwen has been working at the school for ten years and described herself as “part of the furniture there”.

She is now making a full recovery at home, and hopes to return to work in the near future.

“I’m overwhelmed to think people would be doing this to support me, and raise money for those who helped me,” said Ceinwen.

She also spoke of being “incredibly proud” of her son, Osian – whose own fundraising efforts raised more than £5,000 for the Brain and Spine Foundation.

Osian raised the funds by running 5km every day throughout December. The challenge concluded with a final run from the family home in Llanbradach to the school, joined by a number of supporters.

Ceinwen added: “I want to say thank you to everyone who saved my life, and everyone who has helped raise so much for good causes.”