A TRAFFIC police officer and his wife returned to a hospital to say thanks for the specialised treatment which saved their son's life.

Ian and Joanne Martin Ainsley also took with them a cheque for £500 which they handed to medical and nursing staff at Sunderland Royal Hospital's neonatal unit.

When he was ten days old the couple's son, Luke, suffering from pneumonia, was rushed from the family's Seaham home to an intensive care bed at the hospital. After being put on a ventilator, he was then cared for by a skilled medical team which ensured he made a full recovery.

Luke is now a healthy four-year-old, but his parents never forgot their debt to hospital staff.

For the second year, Ian has completed the Great North Run to raise funds for the unit.

This year he was joined by Joanne, and together the couple completed the course in two hours and 30 minutes