A Stopsley family is gearing up to join scores of other runners at the start line of this year’s On Your Marks Luton fun run.
Julie and Steve Bennett and their daughter Libby are to take part in this year’s race on October 7 after the couple’s youngest daughter April spent 11 weeks at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after she was born 13 weeks early in January 2011.
April, now 19 months old, weighed just 2lb 3ozs at birth but is now happy and healthy thanks to NICU staff.
Mum Julie said: “The care there was fantastic, it was really scary at first but they did a brilliant job.”
The pair have been hitting the treadmill at the gym in preparation for the 5km race and will then tackle the 2km run with eldest daughter Libby, 6.
Dad Steve added: “We had so much trust in the NICU staff, they monitored April 24/7, we tried to do shifts to stay at the hospital all the time but we actually felt comfortable enough to come away occasionally to get ourselves sorted.”
As well as the 10km race this year, there’s a 5km and a 2km race all starting at Vauxhall Recreation Centre. All proceeds from the race will go to the Luton & Dunstable Hospital’s NICU which cares for 900 sick or premature babies every year.
To enter the race visit https://www.ldh.nhs.uk/race or call 01582 718043.
> To sponsor Julie or Steve log onto www.justgiving.com/Steven-Bennett1 or www.justgiving.com/julie-bennett5.