WORCESTERSHIRE Royal Hospital has received a generous donation of toys as a thank you to the care proved to a Kidderminster youngster.

Odette Wilcox and her family wanted to do something for the hospital team after daughter, three-year-old Maggie, was treated for Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) - a severe and rare food allergy.

Youngsters with the allergy fund specific foods can cause diarrhoea, vomiting and in some cases life-threatening shock.

With help from the hospital staff, Maggie was put on a strict elimination diet reintroducing food one at a time, in order to pinpoint the cause of the allergy.

Odette, from Kidderminster, said: "Maggie was very poorly as a baby, and we've been coming to the children's clinic since she was four months old.

"It was tough to go through the elimination diet, and reintroducing foods afterwards was scary, but the support from advanced nurse practitioner Mel Chippendale was amazing.”

Odette also praised play specialist Bernie Wickson who she said helps make appointments so much fun, Maggie was not aware she was in hospital.

To give something back to the hospital team Maggie’s family raised more than £1,000 by doing a sponsored run and a raffle. The cash raised from the raffle was matched by Barclays through an employee funding scheme, thanks to family member Pennie Atkins.

The funds raised were then split, with some going towards raising awareness of the condition through the family’s charity FPIES UK, and £500 used to buy toys to benefit other children using the Worcester clinic.

Melanie Chippendale said: “I am so grateful to Odette and her family for this donation, it’s really kind.

"We know that children get scared in hospital, and that experience can affect them for a long time. We do everything possible to make children feel relaxed.

"We’re pleased that Maggie is doing so well now."

For more details on the charity visit fpiesuk.org.