Mum of premature twins Catherine Armstrong has pledged to fundraise for a new neonatal intensive care unit at the Royal United Hospital in Bath after staff helped save her sons' lives.

Mrs Armstrong, 35, of Market Place, Colerne, has said she will be forever in the debt of staff at the baby unit after they nursed her two premature boys.

Mrs Armstrong said: "The staff at the unit were fantastic. They reassured us when our babies were at their most vulnerable time and they encouraged us to bond with them when they were so fragile.

"There is no amount of thanks we could give that would be enough, but my husband James and I would like to do fundraising in the future to help fund a new unit."

The eleven-week-old twins were kept in hospital for seven weeks but are now home and are fit and healthy.

Edward and Jocelyn were born at 29 weeks on May 4 and were rushed straight to the unit.

Mr and Mrs Armstrong stayed with them at the unit for the first week and then commuted every day to see them.

The babies both weighed less than 4lbs but Edward's condition was critical. When he was born he had stopped breathing and doctors had to fight to stabilise his breathing for the first 24 hours.

From 16 weeks onwards Mrs Armstrong had to have weekly appointments at the Royal United Hospital to monitor her condition.

She said: "I had regular trips to the hospital and had short spells when I had to stay there.

"I was petrified because I could have gone into labour at any minute but the further into the pregnancy the happier we were that the twins hung on.

"It feels great now that we are all safe and well. It's such a miracle that they survived." Edward now weighs 6lbs 10oz and Jocelyn weighs 7lbs 2oz.

Mrs Armstrong said both are growing well and are really starting to show their personalities.

She said: "It's clear that Ed is a little fighter because he has been through so much.

"I think if he didn't have that fighting spirit he would not be here right now. He is so feisty, always the first to be fed. Whereas Jocelyn is much more laid back like his older brother, William, two."

Mrs Armstrong, who has another son, William, two, has noticed that although she received great care from the staff at the unit, staff find it very cramped to work in.

She said: "The staff could not have worked harder if they tried but they need a larger unit. It must be terrible for them working in those conditions. We are going to be speaking to the fundraising team at the hospital so that we can become members for fundraising.

n SUPER fundraiser Julie Anderson-Hill has helped raise more than £8,000 for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Hospital in Bath in the past month .

Mrs Anderson-Hill, 41, whose son Harvey was born prematurely, worked with friends on a ball, and a fun day in Bulkington.

Last year she raised £3,500 for the unit in a wing-walk and has pledged to continue fundraising.