The Special Care Baby Unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital has received a cheque worth £3,100 after employees of the St Annes based Beaverbrooks The Jewellers chose it as one of their top charities.

The donation is part of the company’s nationwide charity initiative in which employees are given £100 each for a donation of their choice.

Manager of the Buying Department at Beaverbrooks The Jewellers, Gill Howarth, presented the cheque to Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Neonatal Service, Liz Morrison.

Gill said: “The teams spent a lot of time discussing which charities they feel passionate about and which should receive the donation and the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) was our chosen charity.

“The SCBU is very special to Beaverbrooks and we are delighted to be able to help purchase special items of equipment for the Unit.

"We recognise the importance of helping and supporting our local community and hope this donation will go some way to making a difference to this well deserving charity.”

Liz Morrison, who is delighted with the donation thanked Gill and the employees at Beaverbrooks and said: “This money will be used to purchase 11 electronic thermometers which will enable us to take exact temperatures of the babies on the Unit.

"We have 16 neonatal cots on the Unit, and these extra thermometers mean every baby will have their own.

“We’re also putting this money towards purchasing two oxygen blenders.

"These blenders allow the nursing staff to deliver a precise amount of oxygen to any premature baby who needs resuscitation.

"We currently have one of these blenders on loan, but this donation now means we’ll have two permanent ones on the SCBU, which is great.”

Nursing staff on SCBU are now looking forward to receiving the equipment by Christmas.