LIFESAVING equipment has been funded for some of the area's smallest patients thanks to the efforts of kind-hearted students.

Sixth formers at Tauheedul Islam Girls High in Blackburn have made two significant donations to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The girls have met with staff and parents at the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) at Burnley General Teaching Hospital to hand over six state-of-the-art pulse-oximeters paid for by the £3,812 they have raised.

Kam Kothia, school governors chairman, said: ‘Each year, our students raise tens of thousands of pounds for charity.

“Supporting others who are poorly is a key part of our faith ethos and mission for character development, so we are delighted to be able to make this donation to such a worthy cause.”

Caroline Cowman, NICU matron, said: “We are very grateful to the school and the students for such a large donation which means the NICU can upgrade to the most up-to-date equipment for the needs of our babies.”

Pulse-oximeters measure both the pulse rate and the amount of oxygen present in a baby’s blood.

Medical equipment manager Arif Patel said: “These machines continuously monitor the level of oxygen in the blood and alarm when this becomes low.

“Having an early warning is crucial.

"Once a baby starts becoming short of oxygen, we have to act quickly to prevent serious damage to their health.”

The year 12 students at the school handed over a £1,843 cheque last November and followed it up with £1,969 four months later.

The latter cheque was generated by an Intersociety competition at Tauheedul, where sixth formers compete to deliver a range of activities for younger students and staff.

Christine Hughes, the hospital trust’s communications director, added: “Support from our local community is very important to the trust.

“I want to thank everyone at Tauheedul Islam Girls High School who worked so hard to raise such a large amount of money for the NICU.”