SCORES of kind-hearted Worcestershire residents have backed an Evening News campaign to help save the lives of premature babies this Christmas - raising thousands of pounds.

The Evening News launched its Tiny Tots Appeal just over three weeks ago to raise enough cash to fund life-saving equipment for Worcestershire Royal Hospital's neo-natal unit for special babies.

In just 23 days the appeal has already raised £4,000 after 75 Evening News readers pledged their cash to the cause.

Every single penny of the money will now be used to buy vital equipment, such as monitors and alarms to check the tiny tots are still breathing and special photo-therapy blankets to bring them back to health.

Among the generous donations was £1,000 from Worcester nightclub Bushwackers and £1,000 from an anonymous county family whose baby was saved eight months ago by the unit at the Royal.

Now another kind-hearted city resident, Paul Newman, has pledged his ongoing support for the cause - and has already handed over a cheque for £500, which he convinced his managing director at Worcester Bosch, Richard Soper, to donate.

Paul and his colleagues have spent the last five years fund-raising for children's charities.

Over the years, Paul has built up a host of contacts in the entertainment business, which have proved crucial in raising as much cash as possible at fund-raising events.

Now he wants to adopt a sole cause that he will personally back.

"I have been looking for a local charity which I could call my own for quite a while now," he said.

"After reading the Evening News about these premature babies and seeing the list of what the hospital needs, I thought I would love to be involved with the appeal and give these children all the support that I can and a chance of living a normal life which they deserve.

"With the help of my colleagues and friends - especially those at the Prince of Wales pub in Warndon, who always support and help out when I hold an event - I am sure that we can raise enough to be able to buy some of the vital equipment these babies so desperately need."

He has already come up with a list of ideas to raise cash, including his colleague Andy Cooper doing a sponsored weight loss and his manager Steve Munn has pledged to arrange a sponsored golfing tournament early in the New Year.

He is also set to enlist the help of the manager of Worcester's Chicago Rock Caf, Dawn Shopland, to hold fund-raising parties at the venue.

Paul added: "I would really encourage other people to back the appeal too.

"I think you have to put yourself in the parents' place and just imagine how traumatic it must be for them when their children are born three months premature."

Paul learnt first hand about the trauma parents of premature babies experience after meeting a new mum at the neo-natal unit this week.

Linda Joyce had just returned home after finishing a shift working as a nurse at Evesham Community Hospital when her waters suddenly broke - seven weeks too early.

"I wasn't due to have the baby until February and I immediately began to panic," said Linda, aged 40, of Littleworth Walk, in Evesham.

Linda's partner, welder Dean Peters, 36, was not at home and she found herself putting on her nurse's hat and talking herself into keeping calm.

"I phoned an ambulance and wrote Dean a note to tell him what had happened," she said. "As soon as the paramedics arrived I knew I was in safe hands and began to relax straight away."

Linda was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital, but it wasn't until three days later - on Wednesday, December 15, that she went into full labour and gave birth to little Charlie Peters.

"It was a worrying three days, I knew it was best to try and not give birth until Charlie had the chance to grow a bit more but I did worry whether he would be ok," she said.

Little Charlie arrived in the world weighing just 3lb 6oz.

"He was handed to me and looked so small and then was taken to the intensive care unit in the special babies ward," said Linda.

Charlie needed to be drip fed and put in an incubator to keep him warm, as well as needing photo-therapy treatment to rid him of his jaundice.

"He's still in the unit and doing so much better and doesn't need to be drip fed anymore," said Linda. "It's a shame he won't be home for Christmas, but I know he's in the best possible hands.

"I can't thank the staff enough for what they've done and I would really urge people to donate money to the unit to help babies like Charlie, you never know it could happen to you."

All you need to do to pledge your support is fill in the coupon below and send your donation to the Royal's charitable funds department.

Are you planning an event to raise money for the appeal or do you want to share your experience at the neo-natal unit and help the Tiny Tots Appeal? Call health reporter Emma Cullwick on 01905 742254 or e-mail ec@thisisworcester.co.uk