I CANNOT emphasise how important it is to have the specialist baby unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

My daughter Tilly was born three months premature and due to the already overstretched maternity ward I was transferred to Hope Hospital in Salford.

Tilly was delivered by Caesarean weighing just 1lb 7oz, she was sent straight to neo-natal where for the next eight weeks she received the best care ever. However during this time I was discharged from Hope and had to visit the hospital twice sometimes three times a day which was hard enough in itself.

Eventually a bed became available at Bolton and the tender nursing care continued there. The nursing staff were a credit to themselves and when the day came to eventually take Tilly home there were quite a few tears shed.

The care also then continued through to the paediatric ward where Tillys care continued under Dr Powell.

Tilly is now a healthy five-year-old and is loving every minute in Reception class at Horwich Parish School.

I still have the cuttings from when she was featured in the Bolton Evening News and she loves to hear the stories of the care she received at both Hope and The Royal Bolton Hospital.

I cannot thank the neo-natal units enough.

Nicola, Carl and Tilly Jepson

Horwich