A new home-from-home room is due to be opened at St Mary's Hospital, Milton, Portsmouth, to allow families to be closer to babies admitted into the neo-natal care unit.

The unit cares for premature and ill babies from across the South East, and the overnight room will allow families to stay with their children in more comfortable surroundings than was previously available.

Neo-natal intensive care unit sister Diane Urquhart said the facility took care of babies from as far away as London and Guernsey.

'We don't want to just look after the baby, we want to look after the whole family. It's a very stressful time and also one when they are feeling very vulnerable. That's why this new overnight room is so important,' she said.

The new room, which is due to open on August 2, will have an en-suite bathroom and, crucially, privacy. It will replace the previous sleeping arrangements which left families sharing living space with other hospital workers.

Among the fund-raisers for the room were families who have benefited from the care at St Mary's Hospital. E

vie Rolfe, nine, of Ibsley Grove, Havant, was admitted to the ward in 1999 with her twin Bridie, who died. Evie raised £900 from a sponsored bike ride.

And friends and family of Liam Merrick, two, of Bere Road, Denmead, raised about £1,000. Liam spent eight weeks in the neo-natal unit after he was born prematurely and was later readmitted when he was 37 weeks old after he was struck down with bronchitis.

A retired businessman also donated £4,000.