Tiny Sidney Razzell gave his parents their dream present when he spent his first Christmas at home after being born 10 weeks early.

Last year Sidney and his parents, Nicola Collett and Trevor Razzell of Corsham, spent Christmas Day in a cramped hospital room praying their son would be well enough to be discharged.

After four months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Sidney, who was born weighing less than one pound and was one of the smallest surviving babies ever to be cared for at the unit, was allowed back home.

The couple are now supporters of the Forever Friends Appeal’s Space to Grow campaign, which is helping to raise the £6.1 million for a new unit to replace the existing outdated facilities.

Mr Razzell, who has recently set up the hair salon Bobby Mak in Old Bond Street, Bath with three friends, will be running the Paris marathon in aid of the appeal and his colleagues will take part in the Bath Half Marathon in March to support the cause.

Mr Razzell, 35, said: “It is good to give something back as they did so much for us.”

Baby Sidney is now slowly gaining weight and at 14lb he is little more than half the size of an average baby of his age.

Proud mum Miss Collett, 33, said: “Developmentally he’s great, just very small.

“He hasn’t got any health problems and we have been very, very lucky, considering the problems he could have had as a result of being so small.”

After the birth Miss Collett was not allowed to hold Sidney for two weeks and he did not return home with them until two weeks after his due date in January.

She said Christmas had just passed them by last year.

“We spent every day in the hospital and it wasn’t very pleasant.

“This time last year we were terrified, but it just feels like it was all a dream now.

“We were very worried. I think because he was in hospital for four months. We just didn’t expect it.

“That was the real shock. It was terrible to go home and not be able to take him with us.”

Miss Collett said staff at the NICU were amazing for making their time in hospital bearable when she was spending 12 hours a day in the unit.

Appeal events fundraiser, Natalie Hannam, said: “It is fantastic to see babies like little Sidney Razzell doing so well, having benefited from the fantastic care offered by the current NICU.

“His parents, like so many others, understand the problems these facilities face on a day to day basis, and without their support and that of many others across the RUH catchment area, reaching our target would not be possible.”