THE parents of a baby who died aged just four days old are aiming to bring hope to parents of other children born prematurely.

Molly Cassidy died on Valentine’s Day last year, having been born 11 weeks before she was due.

She was born on February 10 weighing just 1 lb 9 oz and was transferred to the Special Care Baby Unit at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester.

Her parents, Anne and James, from Delaine Road, Withington, say the past 12 months have been a terrible ordeal.

But they now hope to raise £15,000 to buy a neonatal resuscitator, an incubator that helps poorly babies to breathe, for the new children’s hospital being built next to the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Anne, a customer services representative, said: "It’s been so hard to come to terms with, but I think she was just born too early - she was too small to live.

"It’s awful now especially, being the anniversary of her birth and death, but we are trying to cope as best we can."

Molly was the first child to the couple, who have been together since 1991 and married in 1996. James, a management consultant, said: "We’ve had a lot of support from family and friends, and the staff at the hospital were so kind too.

"When Molly died on Valentine’s Day, one of the nurses even cancelled her night out to help us cope and that's such an incredible thing to do - you can’t put a price on that kind of care."

Following Molly’s death, Anne, 37, and James, 38, asked well-wishers not to buy flowers, but to send donations to the New Children’s Hospital Appeal instead. They raised around £3,000 and now the couple are hoping to take that total up to at least £15,000, by organising a charity ball.

James said: "We want to give something back to say thanks and to help other children and families who might be suffering too. It’s all very emotional for us, but in a way I think it’ll help us to move on."

Any money over that amount will go to towards other facilities.

The new Children’s Hospital has a target of £20 million and is expected to be completed next year.

Molly’s Ball will be held on Friday, June 27, at the Palace Hotel, Oxford Road, Manchester. It will include a drinks reception, three-course dinner, musical entertainment, raffle, and casino tables.

The theme of the night will be Las Vegas glamour, and will hosted by BBC radio presenter Evelyn Grealy and ALL FM’s Joe Casserly. Tickets are £65 per person, or £600 for a table of ten. For more information go to www.mollysball.co.uk.