A MOTHER whose children were treated on a neonatal ward at Hinchingbrooke Hospital has donated five new cots with money raised from a summer ball.

More than �7,000 was raised in a Black and White Ball last year organised by Teresa Hicks, whose twins Noah and Lily were born eight weeks early when she had an emergency Caesarean Section. The babies spent a month on the SCBU where nurses taught them how to feed and digest.

The Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) has been given five adjustable height cots that will make life easier for staff and for new mothers, who in wheelchairs, would not have been able to see their babies without getting up with the old cots.

“The nurses, and doctors, are just amazing, at such a traumatic time for mothers, they just make you feel so involved,” Teresa said.

“It’s a hard time for a new mum when you have to walk away from your baby to go home at night, but you feel like you are leaving them safe with family.

“It’s great to give something back but I still feel like I haven’t done enough and I will always be in debt to them.”

Neonatal manager Kate Rivett thanked Teresa for her support and the donation for the new equipment she feels will improve the interaction between mothers and their babies whilst being treated in the ward.

She said: “It always gives a huge amount of satisfaction to our staff to know that we made such a difference to both the babies and their parents during a difficult period that they continue to think about us even after they have been discharged home.

“It is always lovely when someone chooses to come and visit or to raise money so that the lives of our staff, the babies that we care for and their families can be improved - gestures such as these make a difference to us because they reinforce that we made somebody’s life a little better than it might have been.”

• Following the success of the Black and White Ball last year Teresa is joining forces with other mums who have benefited from the care given by staff on SCBU at Hinchingbrooke. She said: “We are organising an even bigger event at the end of June to raise even more money for both the SCBU at Hinchingbrooke and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Addenbrooke’s.

“If people enjoyed the Black and White Ball, they will love the incredible plans we have in place thanks to the generosity of local businesses and clubs.”