A CHARITY that supports a hospital special baby care unit has received a very welcome donation.

Every year, the Country Roads Music Festival raises funds for Cherish, based at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

Festival organiser Tracy Butler handed over a cheque for £1,000, which was raised at last year's event.

Having previously been a family support worker with children with special needs, Tracy saw first hand what the work of the baby unit meant to parents.

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With the help of Cherish, specialist equipment could be installed at parents' homes so their babies could leave hospital.

Cherish also fund accommodation at the hospital for parents to stay in, allowing them to remain close to their children.

Next on the list for Cherish are holiday homes equipped with the facilities families will need to take a break.

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Cherish chairperson Ruth Drake, from Wrexham, became involved said: "Tracy has been raising money for our charity for a number of years, and we couldn't run without the support.

"The money we raised gets used on what's needed most, literally anything we can help with.

"We have ongoing support for the unit with things like Journey Boxes to keep memories in from baby's stay on the unit.

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"Little teddy gifts, a book when they go home. We help pay for ink for the printer at the unit, which staff will use to print photos for parents.

"We help pay for the upkeep of the accommodation rooms that allow parents to stay at the unit.

"We were recently able to make a massive purchase of a thermal cot for the unit."

Ruth added: "Those of us working for Cherish are all volunteers, and the majority of us are parents who once had babies on the unit or staff from the unit.

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"We've all go a real vested interest in the support because we know what it means.

"My daughter's 14 now and as a baby she was really, really poorly. We stayed in the accommodation at the unit and saw the rooms were paid for by Cherish.

"We chose to give money from our daughter's christening to Cherish and it's carried on from there."

The next Country Roads event is taking place over the Bank Holiday weekend of August 24 to 28 in Farndon, Cheshire.

For more details or tickets call 07809 904240 or check out their Facebook page.