On Friday 26^th July, one of the hottest days of the year, four brave dads from the Lister Neonatal Unit Families group spent 12 gruelling hours rowing and cycling to raise money towards creating a new families room on the neonatal unit at the Lister.

The Lister Neonatal Unit Families Group is a parent support group set up to raise money for the neonatal unit. With the bikes and rowing machines generously supplied by local gym NoBull Fitness, the four dads were joined throughout the day by friends, East and North Herts NHS Staff, and even their own children to pedal and row their way through the challenge.

The neonatal unit at the Lister cares for over 900 poorly babies each year, with the average stay on the unit being 12 weeks. With the current family room only having enough room for six visitors, the demand far outweighs capacity. So far over £310,000 has been raised towards the new families room, which will be significantly bigger and include the cooking and washing facilities needed to make a families time on the unit a little more comfortable.

Peter slater, one of the four dads taking part in the challenge, said:

“Both of my daughters were cared for in the neonatal unit; one was born at 27 weeks and the other at 28. We cycled and rowed for 12 hours, making sure all of the equipment was moving at all times, to raise money for the big build neonatal unit to create a better environment for the parents whilst their children are being cared for.”

To donate to the Neonatal Big Build campaign visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/listerneonatalbigbuild