Nigel and Sara Crocker with their children Ellie (5) and Charlie (2) Picture by Tony Pike (00689315)

A COUPLE whose baby girl will need heart surgery as soon as she is born have been raising funds to meet their extra costs.

Nigel and Sara Crocker learned at a 20-week scan that their third child, a sister to Charlie and Ellie, has hypoplastic left heart syndrome – a condition that leaves one in 5,000 babies with an underdeveloped left side of the heart.

‘It’s been a very difficult time since we found out in January and we have been back and forth to Southampton, as well as having regular check-ups, so the emotional and financial implications of the situation have been very stressful,’ said Nigel, who added that the operation carried a 60 to 70 per cent chance of survival.

‘To try and keep things as normal as possible the whole family will go to Southampton for the birth and we envisage being there for six weeks, although people have stayed there for over three months.’

• Anyone wishing to help the family can contact Nigel on 859809 or 07700 720946.