Families at Lister Hospital's neonatal unit are being supported by renovation work which has been funded by a housebuilder in Stevenage.

East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals' Charity, which supports Lister Hospital, applied for funding through Miller Homes' annual Community Fund, and have been granted a financial donation by the developer.

The money is being spent on transforming the bedrooms where parents stay while their new-born babies are being cared for on the neonatal unit at Lister Hospital, situated off Coreys Mill Lane in Stevenage.

Updated beds and bedding, wall treatments and TVs are among the changes being made within the neonatal unit bedrooms, to provide families with as much comfort as possible during what is an incredibly difficult time for everyone involved when a child is admitted to the neonatal unit.

Miller Homes' staff were invited to see the renovations in progress at Lister Hospital recently.

Bethany McNeil, head of public fundraising for East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals' Charity, said: "We are very grateful to Miller Homes for their generous support to help us refurbish the bedrooms on the neonatal unit.

"The rooms mean so much to families who need to stay close to their babies while they are being cared for on the neonatal unit.

"Thanks to Miller Homes, we will be able to give the rooms a much-needed update to ensure they are cosy and welcoming for families who are going through a worrying time."

Miller Homes, the housebuilder who has granted the funding to Lister Hospital, has begun construction work on a development of new, energy-efficient new homes in Stevenage, known as Miller Homes @ Forster Park, off North Road.

Gavin Jones, regional operations director for Miller Homes South Midlands, said: "We are delighted to be able to support local communities through our Community Fund and we felt compelled to make sure that Lister Hospital's neonatal unit was one of the groups to benefit from our funding, being in such close proximity to our new development in Stevenage.

"Each and every parent who has to go through the difficult period of time effectively living inside the hospital's walls while their new-born baby is under the incredible care of our NHS, deserves to be provided with the greatest level of comfort. We were so pleased to see that work has started on the unit's bedrooms, during our visit to Lister Hospital.

"We were fortunate enough to spend some time speaking to the staff within the neonatal unit during our recent visit to the hospital and we left feeling very humbled by the experience. We wish everyone connected to the hospital the very best for the future and hope our donation to them will be of some support to families at their time of need."

Miller Homes will build 396 new homes at Forster Park, as well as providing public open space as part of a wider scheme set to bring a new primary school, local centre and proposed country park to Stevenage.

Lister Hospital is part of the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. For more information on the group, please visit https://www.enherts-tr.nhs.uk/.

Those interested in learning more about the new homes being built at Forster Park in Stevenage can do so by visiting https://www.millerhomes.co.uk/new-homes/south-east/forster-park-stevenage.aspx.