The appeal to raise £150,000 to help revamp and expand Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital unit for premature and sick babies has captured the hearts of the community.

The characteristic generosity of Lynn News readers means even in the current hard-pushed economic climate the appeal fund is topping £3,000 two months after it was launched and hundreds of pounds from a string of money-making events from quiz nights, sponsored trolley pushes and huge physical challenges is on its way.

Now, with the Queen behind the appeal we hope the momentum will just keep growing.

With her royal residence Sandringham just up the road, the Queen is a great supporter of the QEH.

A Sandringham Estate spokesman said: "It's a worthy cause for a local hospital which will serve the local community."

VULNERABLE

As is the custom with royal donations, the Lynn News has been asked to keep the sum of the Queen's contribution under wraps, but it will help launch us further toward making the revamp of the unit a reality.

The hospital is struggling to cope with the demand with its current Neonatal Intensive Care Unit frequently becoming full, meaning vulnerable West Norfolk babies having to be born and cared for elsewhere, adding travel and accommodation costs and huge emotional strain to families at the most difficult of times.

Our appeal aims to help the hospital overhaul the unit, bringing down walls to create space for at least two more crucial specialist cots – to take cot numbers in the unit from 12 to 14.

It will also help create a vital second room for parents to stay overnight. Almost everyone who has a baby in the unit spends at least one night, but often considerably more, staying overnight at the unit before taking their baby home.

With only one room currently available there is often a queue and babies have to stay longer in the unit – adding to the overcrowding problem and meaning parents have to wait longer to bring their precious babies home. The appeal will also enable a new top-notch security system to be installed, private room for nurses to prepare drugs without distraction and general refurbishment of the whole unit.

HUGE DIFFERENCE

The hospital's financial position is improving but with so many pulls on its tightly-controlled budget the works on the unit have not gained priority status and without the Lynn News appeal there is no knowing when or if they will ever happen, yet they will make a huge difference to around 250 families per year.

Unit senior sister Debbie Coe said: "I'm really pleased to hear of the Queen's donation. It's like she has given her approval.

"Her children and grandchildren haven't required the services but you never know."

IF you're planning an event for the Special Care Baby Appeal contact co-ordinator Louise Brain on 01553 817320 or louise.brain@lynnnews.