After a year's worth of fundraising by Valero's Pembroke refinery for its Charity of the Year, the company handed over a cheque to Ty Hafan to help it continue its valuable work helping young people in the community.

Every year, employees and contractors at Valero's Pembroke refinery vote by ballot for a charity to support for 12 months and last year they chose Ty Hafan, the Family Hospice for Young Lives. Based in Cardiff and the only one of its type in south Wales, the hospice provides palliative care and other services for life-limited children and young people.

Among the many fund-raising events throughout the year was the successful Valero Golf Society Open in June 2012 at the Milford Haven Golf Club, which alone raised £4,000 with employees and contractors playing golf, assisting with stewarding and selling raffle tickets.

Over 400 families have benefited from the support of the specialists at Ty Hafan since its founding in 1999 and the staff include children's nurses, social workers and play workers. The hospice offers short-break care to give families much-needed rest time, which can include accommodation for family members, as well as offering care at home and in the community to make sure each child has a comprehensive care programme.

Ed Tomp, Valero Pembroke Refinery general manager, said: "We have had a great year supporting Ty Hafan as our Charity of the Year as it underlines the commitment that Valero makes to taking a leadership role in the communities in which we live and work by providing company support and encouraging employee involvement."

Staff at the hospice were very grateful for the year-long support of their work.

Priscilla Bowden, business and community fundraiser, said: "On behalf of everyone at Ty Hafan, I would like to say an absolutely huge thank you for the amazing amount of time and effort given by the kind staff at Valero.

"The massive amount of money raised will make such a big difference and they should take great pride in knowing that they are helping the lives of children, young people and families who use Ty Hafan."