THE parents of a premature baby who passed away have donated £12,000 to Basildon Hospital’s neonatal unit for new equipment.

When Richard and Lydia Hobden lost their son, Noah at just three months old, they wanted to turn it into a positive with a huge donation to the hospital.

The couple set up Noah’s Big Charity in 2013 and since then with the help of fundraisers they have raised £100,000 for Basildon Hospital and the Royal London, where Noah was looked after.

This is the second time they have donated equipment to Basildon Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

The money was used to buy Optiflow machines which allow nurses to give oxygen to babies in a non-invasive way, while the saturation monitors allow medical staff to check the level of oxygen in their blood.

The Brentwood a’Becket Rotary Club decided to back the pair and donate a further £2,000 to the Hobden’s funds meaning the couple could buy seven pieces of equipment for the unit.

Richard said: “Anne from the Rotary club got in touch just in time and thanks to them we were able to buy three Optiflow machines instead of two, as well as two saturation machines and two breast pumps.

“We’re so grateful to them and everyone who has donated, sponsored or organised an event for us. When we started this we wanted to make sure every penny raised went towards the equipment and so far we have done just that.”

Lydia said: “The machines we have donated here have plaques on and slowly but surely we’ve started to get calls from parents and grandparents, who have had a baby treated in the unit and they want to get involved and do something to help the charity.

“It really feels like we’re helping other families, which is what we always wanted as Noah’s legacy.”

Tracey Glester, neonatal intensive care unit matron, said: “Richard and Lydia really are an inspiration, turning such a tragedy into something positive.

“The additional equipment the charity has funded is always in use on the unit and parents have seen the plaques on the machines and asked about Noah’s Big Charity. We’re grateful for any donations we receive and it’s so nice to be able to keep in touch with the Hobden family.”

For more information, visit noahsbigcharity.com