VIDEO: "I shudder to think what a worse day might be"
A South Wales man who held a double funeral for his parents is seeking a Wales-specific inquiry.
Last updated 19th Oct 2021
Frank Heaton from Pontypridd contracted Covid-19 in hospital during the second wave after being admitted for treatment for a chest infection. His wife Ann survived the virus during the first wave but was weak and died from an unrelated infection.
Ann and Frank Heaton
James is devastated by their loss and told us how his mum and dad were passionate about the local community where the lived. He told us: "Dad was a civil servant and then with British Telecom for many years. For the last 18 years of his working life he was at Llantwit Fardre Community Council as the parish clerk. He really loved that job, helping the local community and getting involved in a lot of community initiatives.
"Mum worked part-time for quite a lot of their marriage in a charity book shop. She was also a lot of support to Dad helping him organise events and keep on top of things. They did quite a lot in the area. Mum was involved with Save the Children. Dad, also ran the Llantwit Fardre carnival as part of his job for many years."
WATCH full interview here:
Frank had a very minor chest infection when he was admitted to hospital. James told us: "He was really reluctant to go into hospital that was on the Saturday, on the Thursday they were talking about discharge planning. But he then took a big decline over the weekend and on Tuesday night, nine days after he was admitted - we got the call to say that he wouldn't survive the night. I drove through the night and managed to be with him for the last couple of hours."
During the first wave of the pandemic James' mum Ann contracted Covid-19. He told us: "She was in fairly poor health and vulnerable to most infections. We didn't think she'd survive, but incredibly she did. She was absolutely brutally weak and vulnerable to any little infection going. During the second wave when dad caught Covid, mum was unwell too and died of an unrelated infection a few days after my father."
At the time of Frank and Ann's deaths Covid restrictions were in place and so only a certain amount of people were allowed to attend funeral services.
"It was horrendous, " James told us. "We had a joint funeral, only 19 people there. Almost all of their relatives were elderly in their 70s and I was the only relative there - because none of them felt safe to travel with the Covid rates as they were at the time. A lot of their local friends and friends children did come, which I was really grateful for. I sincerely hope that will end up being the worst day of my life. I shudder to think what a worse day might be."
James is among just over 150 people who have joined the Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru group and says it has been a great comfort speaking to those who understand what he has been through. He says "The organisation has been absolutely brilliant with initiatives like the memorial wall in London. But most strongly of all, the call for an inquiry which we now know will happen nationally. But more specifically lobbying for a Wales-specific inquiry."
Welsh Government has now pressed the PM for a guarantee the UK Covid inquiry would properly examine its actions and the experiences of the people of Wales.
First Minister Mark Drakeford has tweeted that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed there will be a proper Welsh dimension to the inquiry.