The Royal Bolton Hospital’s charity has thanked a couple after they raised thousands in funds for the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

Wrexham AFC player James Jones and partner Chloe raised more than £19,000 as part of a fundraiser to support intensive care units at Wrexham Maelor and Bolton Hospitals, as well as the Spoons charity.

The campaign also received celebrity attention when Hollywood stars and football club owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney donated £10,000.

The couple and their baby were also featured in episode five of the award-winning ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ series, which covers the purchase and ownership of the football club.

Jude was born 15 weeks premature on November 19, 2022, weighing just 640 grams – he was originally due in March 2023.

As a result, Jude needed a transfer to Bolton within hours of being born at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.

While Wrexham were playing a home game against Aldershot Town, Chloe, who was 25 weeks pregnant, started to experience severe abdominal pain so was taken to Wrexham Hospital where she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia.

Both Chloe and her unborn baby were in danger, so the decision was taken to perform an emergency caesarean section.

Shortly after the birth, Chloe experienced pre-eclampsia, a condition which causes high blood pressure, and the life-threatening pregnancy condition Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets (HELLP) syndrome, leading to Chloe having two seizures and multiple organ failure.

Baby Jude ended up spending 122 days at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Chloe and James have since returned to the hospital with their now 20-month-old son to receive a certificate of appreciation from the Our Bolton NHS Charity.

Chloe said: “It was great to be able to come back and see some of the staff who helped Jude so much and for them to be able to see how well he is doing now thanks to their work.

“It was especially nice to be able to see Jude’s consultant Dr Mishra again. She was amazing throughout our time at Bolton and we really felt like she cared about us all as a family too.”

Chloe added: “The staff at Bolton hospital were there for us when we needed them most and we will always be so grateful for that.”

Follow The Bolton News on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok.

James said: “After we were lucky enough to come through our experience the way we did, we felt extremely grateful and wanted to do something to show our appreciation and to hopefully help other families in the future who may go through similar circumstances.

“We are unbelievably thankful for everyone who has donated and helped raise awareness for our chosen charities, people’s generosity has been really overwhelming.”

While at the hospital, Jude even showed off his football skills to staff.

Now 20 months old, Jude showed off his football skills to staffNow 20 months old, Jude showed off his football skills to staff (Image: Royal Bolton NHS Foundation Trust)

Dr Archana Mishra, Consultant at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I was absolutely thrilled to see Jude doing so well!

“Being born at 25 weeks and having spent a few months on the neonatal unit needing support with his breathing and feeding, it was a difficult time for Jude and a very stressful time for his parents.

“I am in awe of how well he has caught up; a testament to his resilience and the love and dedication of his parents.

“At 20 months, I was so happy to see him enjoying a banana and kicking a ball; he has a delightful personality!

“It was lovely seeing Chloe and James too; they are taking everything in their stride.

“The funds that Chloe and James have raised will help us improve the experience for parents whose babies are born premature and sick and admitted to our unit.

Cath Bainbridge, Matron of Neonatal Services at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, provided care to Jude during his stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Cath said: “It was truly wonderful to see Jude come back for a visit as a very healthy and happy little boy. The Neonatal journey for any family can be an emotional and stressful experience.

“We strive to ensure that we provide high quality outcomes for babies like Jude, and their families. It is for this reason, that we are truly grateful to James and Chloe for their fundraising efforts to support our Unit as the often the smallest of things can make a huge difference in challenging times.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.