Donation to unit will be baby Oscar's legacy

Initially, Louise Helsby and her partner Neil Ibbotson set up a justgiving page with a target of £100 for funeral flowers for their son Oscar, who was born prematurely and died when he was just five weeks old.

But the couple decided to donate the money to Burnley General Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and they raised the fantastic sum of £1,227.

This was their way of thanking the unit for providing them with accommodation while baby Oscar was being cared for.

It proved to be a lifeline for the couple as they live in Leeds and they have asked that the money they raised be spent on something to help parents of children who have to spend time in the department.

Louise said: “Before we got to NICU, we never knew it was here. But now we do, I cannot express how grateful my family and I are for all of the support

the staff on the ward provided us in our time of need as well as around- the-clock assistance whenever we required it."

Lisa Slater, Neonatal Specialist Practitioner and Midwife at Burnley General

Hospital, said: “‘As a team we were really sad at the loss of Oscar; we send Louise, Neil and all their family our condolences and best wishes for the

future. We are so very grateful to them for their generous donation to the neonatal unit at this difficult time.”