A HEREFORD 'miracle' baby has received a special hug from the fertility nurse who helped his mum and dad give him life.

Little Matthew Evans, accompanied by his parents, Martin and Heather, attended a special party hosted by the Midland Fertility Services to celebrate the clinic's 14th birthday.

It was a joyful reunion for nurse, Heidi Birch and the Evans family at Cooper and Jordan School in Aldridge when around 350 mums and dads and 230 children aged from a few days to 13 years were invited to the celebrations.

The couple from Credenhill, had already been married for three years when they started trying for a family seven years ago.

Full-time mum, Mrs Evans said: "We decided to get our home together and get our lives sorted before having children.

"It was a big shock when we started trying and nothing happened.

"I was ready to give up work and have our children but we were getting nowhere.

"Tests showed I wasn't producing enough eggs and then further tests showed Martin had a motility problem - his sperm were not strong swimmers.

"MSF recommended a procedure called ICSI and I became pregnant straight away. It was marvellous."

Mr Evans is an HGV lorry driver, a job in which fertility problems are now recognised as an occupational hazard because of long hours sitting in a warm cab.

ICSI - intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection - is an advanced form of IVF. It involves injecting one healthy sperm into each healthy egg, in the laboratory, using a fine glass needle.

During the last year, Midland Fertility Services has appointed a new high-profile medical director as well as introducing pioneering new blood tests and has gained a top-ten position in the list of the UK fertility clinics.