HOLMES Chapel Chorus joined forces with Middlewich High School Community Choir for their Christmas fundraising to raise £1,250 for the Neonatal Unit at Leighton Hospital.

They were raising funds for much-needed equipment in the form of ‘Kangaroo Care’ chairs, and the total raised will enable the unit to buy another chair.

Kangaroo Care is skin-to-skin contact when a baby is placed against the parent’s chest.

Benefits include improvements with lactation and with establishing breastfeeding, along with better weight gain for the baby.

In the longer term it helps parents to feel closer to their babies and more confident in caring for them.

Julie Barker, musical director of the choirs, said they were thrilled to reach their target, and she visited the Neonatal Unit to present the cheque for £1,250 to the Mid-Cheshire Hospital Trust Charity.

She said: “It was a great achievement to be able to support a local charity with resources that will benefit many people in the community.

“Having spoken to the charity about their needs, I hope next year both choirs can fundraise for the treatment of dementia and enable the hospital to once more purchase much-needed resources.

Both choirs have just restarted rehearsals with programmes for their summer concerts.

MHS Community Choir has just over 30 members and a concert is planned for Saturday, June 8.

Holmes Chapel Chorus have a membership of nearly 40 and its Summer Concert is on Saturday, July 6. There are vacancies in both choirs, but particularly for tenors and basses. Anyone interested in joining should contact Julie on 01606 833064.