A LITTLE boy and his family had a £1,500 thank you for the special care baby unit which helped save his life.

Marc Todd, from Middleton- in-Teesdale, is now a thriving 20-month-year-old but he owes his health to the nurses and doctors from Bishop Auckland General Hospital who looked after him after he was born 13 weeks early, weighing less than 2lbs.

His grateful parents Jennifer and Andrew recruited friends and work colleagues to raise the money with a gruelling three-day cross country cycle ride from west to east.

Andrew acted as back-up for the cyclists, Jennifer, Maureen Raw, Paul Newby, Lynne Hatton and Claire Brooks, who all work in the biology department at GlaxoSmithKline at Barnard Castle, and Shaun Rice and Terry Lane, from Darlington Squash Club.

Jennifer said: "We wanted to say a big thanks to the hospital because they were so fantastic with Marc. He must have died at least three times but they brought him round and he is fine now."

The group intend to continue their efforts for Bishop Auckland and other hospitals where Marc was cared for.