A FATHER is set to cycle with friends from Witney to Bournemouth to raise money for the charity that supported his family while his prematurely-born daughter was cared for in hospital.

Steve and Sarah Foster’s daughter Evie was born at 27 weeks on December 4, weighing 1lb and 13oz.

She had to be kept under close monitoring at the John Radcliffe Hospital for three months – including Christmas.

The baby’s due date had been March 2 and she remained at the JR until March 11, when she was allowed to go home.

Now Mr Foster said she is a healthy and happy baby of 14lb, who will be seven months old next week.

He and his wife, who live in Stow Avenue, Witney, want to thank the hospital charity SSNAP, which raises money for the special care baby unit at the John Radcliffe, for helping them and daughter Olivia, five, during Evie’s stay.

Mr Foster plans to do a fundraiser for the charity every year.

Today he will set off with 19 friends from Mickey Cranks Cycling Club in Witney, on the 105-mile ride.

The group had set themselves a fundraising target of £1,000, but have already smashed that after receiving pledges totalling more than £3,500.

The 28-year-old said: “It was a rollercoaster at the start and everything went so quickly, it was the scariest thing you could go through as a parent.

“Not knowing what to expect was the worst part, especially in the 17 days when Evie was in intensive care, and SSNAP really helped us.

“They would come round with coffee and cake and talk to you and create a bit of normality.”

* For more information, or to donate, visit: http://tinyurl.com/pnfr3s5