Funds have been raised to open a new neonatal residential bay in memory of a nurse who died before they were due to begin working at Royal United Hospital.

In 2022, Helen and Mark Robertson sadly lost their daughter, Lori, in a car accident. She had just qualified as a paediatric nurse and was excited to accept a position in the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care at RUH Bath.

Since then, they’ve been fundraising in her memory to help the ward where she would have started her nursing career.

They said: “Our beautiful daughter passed away in a car accident before she could start her dream job as a paediatric nurse in September. In her memory we have raised well over our aim of £21,000 for the unit she was going to join, in memory of Lori and her beautiful 21 years.

“We are so very proud with everything that Lori had achieved in her three years at university, and obtaining her place at the Bath NNU as a paediatric nurse.

“We felt that there was a need to do something that would hold her memory at the unit, therefore we started the fundraising for the project to help babies and their parents.”

Their fundraising target in memory of Lori was £21,000. But that figure was surpassed and £30,000 was raised by more than 825 generous supporters.

Lori’s mum Helen completed a skydive and a charity disco raised more than £1,000. Other donations included the birthday gift and graduation celebration money meant for Lori and donations from many people that Lori had met and left a lasting impression on.

‘The Lori Grace Room’, the new parent and baby residential bay, named in her memory, is the creation of care for newborn babies and their parents in loving memory of Lori Robertson.

Kirstie Flood, lead nurse at the RUH Bath’s Dyson Centre for neonatal care, said: “The Lori Grace room has been created as a parent and baby residential bay. It provides a safe, comfortable environment for babies and families to remain whole, receiving care as a family.

“This new parent and baby residential bay gives parents the opportunity to stay overnight with their baby, whilst their baby receives the clinical care they need on the neonatal unit.

“This offers a wealth of benefits for baby and parents, inclusive of improved brain development, growth and established feeding whilst giving maximum opportunity to build on the close and loving relationships, nurturing the family bond.

“This space will support the incredible family-integrated approach that we strive for and that our staff champion every single day. By working in partnership with parents to care for their baby, and in addition minimising stress and improving parental wellbeing.

“This incredible project could not have been completed without the dedicated and generous fundraising from Helen and Mark and their friends and family and we are extremely grateful.”

These new facilities will help new families avoid these additional costs at the beginning of their time together after the birth of their newborn baby.