FRIENDS of a Letterston family, coping with a desperately ill little baby girl, are appealing for help to support her mum and dad.

A Justgivegiving online page has been set up by friend Kelly Evans of Letterston: “We are trying to raise money to support the family of six-week-old Hallie Sinnott, from Letterston.

“Hallie is the daughter of Jodie Owen and David Sinnott. Two weeks before she was due they detected fluid on her abdomen through a routine scan, they didn't know the cause of this so they were sent to Singleton in Swansea to have her.

“She was born via C-section on February 27. At first the consultant thought they had got it wrong and she seemed perfectly fine, but by day two her stomach had started swelling and she was transferred to special care.

“The following day she was transferred to the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford where she underwent surgery and they found a large cyst covering her stomach. This was removed and following recovery they were sent home thinking all would be fine.

“On Saturday April 8, Hallie became very poorly so was taken to A&E, after tests she was airlifted to Cardiff and underwent surgery the following day.

“They found she had a large abscess on the lining of her stomach and several small abscesses on her bowel, she had to have part of her bowel removed, resulting with her needing a colostomy bag.

“Two days later she required a third operation to repair a hole they had discovered in her stomach. She is currently on a ventilator and has a long road to recovery ahead of her.”

Kelly said that the family also faced financial strain at this difficult time: “Unfortunately, David has had to take unpaid leave from work to be in Cardiff with Hallie, and Jodie does not receive very much in the way of maternity pay, which has put financial strain on the family with the cost of travelling, hospital stays, day-to-day bills and supporting their 18-month-old daughter, Daisy-Mae.

“We as a community are hoping to raise a small amount of money just to help support Hallie and her family at this difficult time and her recovery. All donations will be greatly appreciated.”

Donations may be made by clicking here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/support-hallie-sinnott?utm_id=106&utm_term=QQDYWp64Q

In a further bid to raise funds, a 12-hour darts marathon is taking place on April 29.

The darts marathon is divided between The Gate, Scleddau (10am-4pm) and The Jubilee, Letterston (5pm-11pm).

A raffle will also be held on the day, and tickets, at £1 each, are available from both The Gate and The Jubilee.

To date, some £50 has been raised.