AWARD-winning author, Clare Mackintosh, has donated £10,000 to help mum’s-to-be being treated at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

The money will fund three state-of-the-art monitors at the John Radcliffe's Silver Star Unit to help analyse the health of the baby and detect potential distress before labour.

The author from Chipping Norton said: "In 2006 I lost my five-week-old son, born prematurely after an otherwise straight-forward twin pregnancy.

"When I fell pregnant with twins six months later, I was referred to the Silver Star Unit in Oxford, where I was told my chances of carrying to term were extremely low.

"The care I received was second to none, and thanks to the expertise of the medical staff I delivered healthy twins at 37 weeks."

Maggie Findlay, fundraising manager for Silver Star, part of the Oxford Hospitals Charity, said: "Clare is an inspirational ambassador for our cause and this very generous donation means we can purchase even more monitors, which will have such an impact for hundreds of women."

For more information on the Silver Star Unit visit www.hospitalcharity.co.uk