Residents of Aberaeron are rallying round to raise the £10,000 needed to send a battling, brain-damaged toddler to the United States for ground-breaking, innovative therapy.

Little Clara Elizabeth Rogers suffered oxygen starvation when she was born in February 2018, was unable to breathe unaided and her organs were failing.

“It felt like she was slipping away,” said mum Sera-Jane Thomas.

“The worst part of that day was when they wheeled me in from the hospital bed to meet Clara for the first time, it was for me to say goodbye.”

But the condition of her tiny daughter unexpectedly stabilised to allow her to be transferred her to the closest Newborn Intensive Care Unit, where her organs slowly started working again.

She has now launched a fundraising campaign to send Clara to the NAPA Centre in Boston for innovative physio and occupational therapy designed to boost motor skills, speech and feeding.

After a sponsored cycle at the town’s seafood festival and with donations having already surpassed £7,000, the mum-of-three is now hoping that a family fun day at Square Field this Sunday (11am to 4pm) will see the campaign through to its £10,000 target.

But town councillors have rejected a request from Round Tablers for a gin and perry festival at Square Field on 3 August to raise money for Clara’s Fund, because they do not feel the location is suitable.

See this week’s South Ceredigion paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now