1 in 9 babies are born needing some form of care on neonatal units.

In 2015 our daughter Lyla was born 9 weeks premature weighing just 3lbs 7oz. She spent just under 4 weeks being cared for on the neonatal unit at Heartlands Hospital. The care she received and the support the staff gave my wife Hannah and I will live with us for the rest of our lives.

But Lyla was one of the lucky ones. It seems strange to talk about luck when you are spending every day sat next to your child in a hospital but compared to some of the other babies on the unit, who were very poorly, Hannah and I could only be grateful that that was not Lyla. That is why units such as the neonatal department at Heartlands deserve every penny they get to continue to provide care and support to those babies who need it the most. We will forever be in their debt.

I work at a mobility company based in Stechford, Birmingham, www.stechfordmobility.co.uk. Last year we donated 6 height adjustable, comfortable chairs to the neonatal unit, as Hannah and I knew only too well how uncomfortable it could be sitting in a hard, plastic chair all day. This year we want to go one step further and try and raise £30,000. This would help cover the costs of an incubator, a couple of heart and breathing monitors or even help towards the costs of nurses or psychological support staff for parents.

 I am taking part in all 4 seasonal wolf runs where I will be joined by Lyla's aunt Amy Price (I am not looking forward to the winter one!), which are 10k extreme obstacles runs and a Tough Mudder (where my fellow engineer and Lyla's Uncle Alex Cook will be joining me) which is a 11 mile extreme obstacle run. Our Managing director David Thomas and Lyla's Grandad, and fellow engineer Martin Baker will also be attempting to ride non-stop from Birmingham to Edinburgh castle on their Vespa Scooters. They will also be joined by Stephen Jones from their scooter club in their attempt.

Please donate whatever you are able to for this fantastic unit and help us achieve our goal!