A COUPLE whose baby daughter died at 11 days old have donated equipment to Warrington Hospital in her memory.

Georgie Will and Daniel Thompson were told 12 weeks into their pregnancy that their baby would only live for a short time due to a condition called anencephaly – which prevented her skull from forming properly.

Ava-Marie Thompson was born in Warrington Hospital’s Butterfly Suite and lived for just 11 days.

But the couple, from Newton-le-Willows, had crowdfunded £1,690 before her birth in order to buy a cuddle cot – a cooling mattress that allows parents to spend more time with their baby after they have passed away.

Now Georgie and Daniel, aged 27 and 30 respectively, have donated the equipment to the hospital in her memory and as a thank you for the care and support they received.

Daniel, who works at the YMCA in St Helens, said: "We had 11 days with Ava-Marie, and were able to use the cuddle cot until her funeral.

"It allowed us to make lots of memories with her – we have lots of pictures and handprints.

"The support we received from the hospital was fantastic from the first moment where we found out about Ava-Marie’s condition.

"All the staff have been brilliant all the way through – we feel that in a way we have a connection to the hospital now, and especially to the Butterfly Suite.

"That’s why we wanted to provide the cuddle cot here, knowing that other parents who are in a similar situation would be able to benefit from it.

"We just want to thank the hospital and the staff here for all they did for us."

The cuddle cot, which is fitted with a plaque bearing Ava-Marie’s name, is one of four on the Butterfly Suite.

Debbie Yates, bereavement support coordinator at Warrington Hospital, said: "It’s an honour to be able to look after babies such as Ava-Marie and we’re so grateful for this donation.

"We have four cuddle cots now, one for each area – so there will always be one available if a family wants to take their baby home, if a funeral director wants one, if they need one in A&E or if they need one on the neonatal unit.

"No family will ever need to go without.

"It’s just nice to be able to keep her memory alive while helping other parents at the same time."