A COUPLE from Whitstone recently visited the hospital which cared for their critically-ill daughter to see how money they raised in her memory is helping seriously ill babies and their families.

Daniel and Kyla Cock have raised more than £3,700 for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michaels Hospital, Bristol, in memory of their daughter Georgia, who died aged only four days in December 2007.

Mr and Mrs Cock and their two sons, Kian, six, and Zak, one, visited St Michaels Hospital on April 22 to hand over £1,311.38 raised from Christmas and Easter Draws held at Whitstone Village Stores, which the couple run.

The money will be divided between the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit's 'Cots For Tots' appeal and the Fetal Medicine Unit's 'Mother And Baby Trust Appeal'.

The two units are regional centres which help the most seriously ill babies in the South West, before and after their birth. The pair have made several visits to the hospital since it cared for their daughter three years ago.

Dan said: "On our visit to Bristol this time, we found a great deal of change and expansion at the hospital, which is thanks in the main to the efforts of the many fund raisers who give so generously.

"At the Fetal Medicine Unit, which is the regional referral unit for expectant mothers with complications, they are just putting the finishing touches to a new consulting room and counselling room.

"As a university hospital, they also continue to investigate various conditions they see in unborn babies which, in turn, enables them to develop treatments that can be administered to unborn babies prior to birth."

He continued: "Once babies are born, as many as one in three spend some time in the Neonatal Nursery at St Michaels. This regional unit offers various levels of care from a special care unit for those babies needing a small amount of assistance, a high dependency unit, and an intensive care unit for the most poorly babies.

"They have also recently created a Newborn Emergency Stabilisation and Transport Team (NEST) which comprises a brand new purpose built ambulance. Equipped with an intensive care cot, it is able to transport babies from any hospital in Wales and the South West needing urgent treatment or more

specialised care, back to the regional unit at St Michaels in Bristol.

"'The Cots for Tots' appeal has just launched its second phase of fundraising efforts, with a target of four new intensive care cots and the refurbishment of the parents' accommodation.

"This is a massively appreciated asset if you live some distance from Bristol and your baby is in intensive care, which was the situation we found ourselves in."

He added: "All of these changes will help people going through the sort of experiences we have been through and we look forward to continuing our efforts in memory of Georgia to help with this.

"We had a great day and we would like to pass on the thanks we received from the hospital and the Grand Appeal Team, and add ours to everyone who continues to help us support this incredible service."