A MAN who lost his partner of 24 years to cancer earlier this year has faced a “barrage of bureaucratic hurdles” to get payments to support their two children because the pair were not married.

Donna McClelland, the partner of Arwel Pritchard and mother of their two boys - eight-year-old Danial and Ciaran, 12 - died in May after a long battle with cancer.

Arwel and Donna, who worked as an accountant in Porthmadog, were engaged but had prioritised buying a family home over the expense of getting married.

It meant that Arwel was refused Bereavement Support Payment.

Arwel said: “In my opinion this policy no longer reflects society.

“It’s the children who suffer, they have no choice over whether their parents are married.

“The system should be based on the family unit, whether married or not.

“I hope the policy is changed.”

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