Sick children will soon have a new ward to replace 100-year-old conditions at an Oxfordshire hospital.

Fundraisers at The Horton Hospital, Banbury, have reached their£260,000 target to re-build Horbech paediatric ward. The special campaign has raised the cash in a year and building work has already started to replace the old unit, which was built between the Crimean and Boer wars.

More cubicles, an increase in beds from 14 to 17, and a specially designated outpatient area will all be included in the development.

Regular visitors to Horbech are overjoyed that the money - which will add to a 1m NHS scheme - has been raised.

Debbie Boswell, a member of Holbech Umbrella Group (HUG), said it would make a difference for youngsters visiting the hospital.

Her daughter Sarah, 12, suffers from systemic mastocytosis which leaves her joints swollen and means she has to visit The Horton for regular steroid treatment.

As a result, Horbech is a home away from home for the family.

Mrs Boswell, of Horton Drive, Middleton Cheney, said: "There will be more room for the children and their families. It's a godsend really and it's about time we had new facilities."

Contractors Stepnell are due to finish the new ward on schedule in May.

The work included ripping out the inside of the former occupational therapy building and creating new links with the rest of the hospital.

HUG is now raising extra money to buy facilities for parents staying at Horbech with their children.