SEVEN years ago Lesley Wardle gave birth to a 12-week premature baby girl weighing less than a bag of sugar, now she is a dedicated volunteer fund-raiser for baby charity Tommy's.

Lesley, of Townson Drive in Leigh, is lucky that Charlotte, who weighed just 1lb 11oz, has grown into a happy healthy child and has not developed any problems, but she knows only too well that others are not so fortunate.

She says: "The over-riding question for parents whose baby has died during pregnancy or at birth is 'why?' But so often, they are left bewildered and heartbroken because doctors cannot answer that vital question. Tommy's is determined to find the answers."

Lesley has organised a 10th anniversary charity ball on Friday, November 1 at Liverpool Town Hall, and is appealing for support, donations or sponsorship to help cover the £5,000 cost of the event.

Holiday for two

Raffle prizes for the night include a week's holiday for two to Spain and a Sharp CD player, while an auction will feature lunch for two at the house of commons followed by prime ministers question time tickets, a signed England football shirt, and a baseball cap signed by Victoria Beckham.

Money raised from the evening will help turn Tommy's second research centre, based at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester, into a 'Centre of Excellence' by refurbishing rooms and purchasing new equipment.

Lesley said: "We need £1 million in order to establish and fund the Fetal Health Research Centre, run by Professor Philip Baker and his team, for five years. Hopefully this event will help in some way towards that goal and any amount of money we receive helps this worthy cause."

Tickets for the event cost £35 or £350 for a table of 10, for more information visit www.tommys.org HERE call Lesley on 01942 515075 or email TommysLeigh@aol.com or TommysLiverpool@aol.com

Any donations should be sent to Mrs Lesley Wardle, Volunteer Fund-raiser, Tommy's, the baby charity, Liverpool and Leigh Branch, 2 Townson Drive, Pennington, Leigh, Greater Manchester, WN7 3NJ. Cheques should be made payable to 'Tommy's, the baby charity'.