LIFE for seriously ill children on a hospital ward is set to become a little brighter, thanks to the fundraising efforts of a Suffolk family.

Ipswich tot Amber Rae Kidd-Stanton, who was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumour in February, is currently making good progress after undergoing four operations at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge.

Her parents Michala and Matt were so impressed with the care their daughter received on the ‘C2’ children’s oncology and haematology ward, they embarked on a campaign to raise money for the unit. In July, they held a fundraising event with an auction and raffle at Stoke by Nayland Hotel, with an initial target of �2,500 in mind.

Mrs Kidd-Stanton said they were overwhelmed by the amount of support their campaign had attracted, which resulted in a total of �8,000 raised on the day.

Amber’s grandma Maria Robins – who lives in Great Waldingfield and works at Greggs bakery, in Sudbury – wanted to contribute. So along with her colleagues at the store, she undertook a series of fundraising challenges, including “rowing” the distance to the London Olympics on a rowing machine.

And the family including two-year-old Amber’s sister Maddison, five, and her aunt Melanie Ashby, from Colchester, converged on Greggs last week to collect a cheque for �250. Earlier this year, the store donated �500 of vouchers for the raffle.

Mrs Robins said: “When Amber came out of hospital we decided we wanted to do something for the ward because they were so good to her. Because the children have to be kept in a sterile environment, they are restricted to the ward so the hospital’s play team intends to use the money to create an ‘outdoor’ area on the ward.

“Considering how tight things are financially for most people at the moment, we continue to be amazed at how much money has kept trickling in since the event in summer.”

Mrs Kidd-Stanton said the C2 team had gone “above and beyond” what was expected of them.

She added: “On the days when Amber couldn’t get out of bed, they brought her new toys every day and they were available to answer our questions whenever we needed them to.”