By Aline Nassif

aline.nassif@essnmedia.co.uk

The parents of a boy who died in infancy have returned to Mayday Hospital 24 years on, with more than £2,000, to say a belated thank-you for the care he received there.

Ann and Carl Hornsby were newlyweds in 1985 when their first son Robert was born at the hospital.

Tragically, he was born with serious brain damage and was rushed to Westminster Hospital to be looked after in a special baby unit.

When he could breathe on his own he returned to Mayday where doctors and nurses in the Rupert Bear children's ward cared for him until his death in February 1986.

Years passed and the couple, who moved away from Frylands Wood Scout camp, which they ran off Featherbed Lane, had two more boys, Tom, now 22, and Joe, 18.

But the memory of their first-born always burned bright.

And, last October, they came up with a touching idea to remember him on their silver wedding anniversary and Carl's 50th birthday.

Instead of receiving "ornaments" and other gifts, they encouraged friends and family to donate money to the Rupert Bear ward.

And so much was donated that the couple have just handed over a cheque for £2,075.

Ann said: "When we had Robert we were still such a young couple with no money, so there was no way of properly thanking all the staff there who were so wonderful to us.

"It was such a difficult time back then, but the amount of support we received from the nurses helped us cope.

"Time has passed since he left us, but we always remember him, and his picture is on our mantelpiece at home.

"This was our chance, albeit belatedly, to say thank you and to give something back."

Ann, 49, who now lives with her family in Stockport, Greater Manchester, expected just a couple of hundred pounds to come in, which could buy a TV for the ward.

But she was shocked when so much came in that the ward could buy two machines for monitoring oxygen levels in a child's bloodstream.

Describing the moment she handed over the cheque, Ann said: "It was very emotional for all of us, especially when we were reunited with the lovely nurse (Elizabeth Asfaw) who looked after Robert all those years ago."

Jennie Thompson, paediatric nurse manager at Mayday, was touched by the gesture.

She said: "The money will be spent on these machines, which are a vital piece of equipment for the ward.

"Having them will make a real difference to the many children who come to Mayday."