A family fun day in aid of St Neots toddler Maia Wiggett has raised more than £1,000 for the Dreamdrops charity.

The Hawaiian-themed event was held at the Montague Square Day Nursery, in St Neots, which Maia attends, and included a raffle, name-the-bear competition, cake sale, tombola, barbecue and activities.

Claire Slater, deputy manager at the nursery, said: “We chose to raise money for Dreamdrops as we knew it was a local charity which has supported many of our families over the years. We feel on a more personal level it’s always nice to support children already in our care. Having had Maia with us since she was a baby and being able to see everything she went through, along with how far she has come, we contacted Maia’s parents to see what charity they would like us to support. Meera (Maia’s mother) explained how important Dreamdrops was and what a vital support it is for all families who access the children’s services or special care unit at Hinchingbrooke Hospital. All our staff worked incredibly well to make this fantastic day happen and raised a considerable amount for this wonderful charity.”

Maia was born six weeks premature, weighing just 3lb 1oz, and doctors discovered she had holes in her heart. After spending six weeks in special care Maia was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for interim heart surgery, she began to experience difficulty breathing. Maia was diagnosed with long segment tracheal stenosis (narrowing of the trachea, which provides air to and from the lungs) and this had to take priority over her heart surgery. At the age of two months, surgeons performed a slide tracheoplasty, a pioneering surgery technique that shortens the trachea but makes it wider and stronger.

Anne-Marie Hamilton, Dreamdrops chairman, attended the fun day, and added: “Thank You to you and everyone involved in organising the fun day at Montagu Square Day Nursery, for allowing me to attend and bring some information about Dreamdrops. I really enjoyed my visit. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and there was a really lovely atmosphere all the way through. I was amazed at the number of people who came, it really was terrific.”

Maia’s mum Meera Wiggett also cut her hair short to raise money for Dreamdrops as well as donating her hair to Little Princess Trust, a charity who makes wigs for children. She said: “Thank you to everyone that attended the charity and all the staff at Montagu Square Day nursery without you all this could not have been possible. All of us especially Maia had an amazing time.”