A Cwmbran-based, US-owned valve manufacturer handed a cheque for $40,000 to St David’s Hospice Care.

Crane Co, which owns Cwmbran’s Crane Process Flow Technologies Ltd (Saunders), donated the equivalent of £30,660 to the charity from its Crane Fund for Widows and Children.

The donation will be used to continue to provide the many services that St David’s provides ‘free of charge’ to people facing the most difficult time of their lives.

Emma Saysell, chief executive of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “We really can’t thank Crane enough for this latest marvellous support and for other donations in previous years which run to many thousands of US dollars for St David’s Hospice Care and St Anne’s Hospice.

"We were bowled over with the previous donation when their support saw an up-lift and went the extra mile to supporting the fit-out costs of a hospice bedroom in the in-patient facility which opened its doors earlier this summer. Support from large companies is paramount to us but the Crane Co ethos certainly fits very well with the services and support that we offer locally.”

Andrew Powell, vice president and general manager of Saunders, said that The Crane Fund for Widows and Children makes contributions to charitable organisations that provide direct assistance to the communities where Crane Co operates.

Mr Powell said: “The Crane Fund is an opportunity to help support local charities in the area in which our associates both work and live. We know that there are a number of employees and their families which have received assistance from both St Anne’s and St David’s Hospice Care over the years, so we decided to try and support the charity in a much more formal way.

Since 2007 the Crane Fund has donated some $60,000 (£45,000) to St Anne’s Hospice and now and more recently $71,000 to St David’s Hospice Care.