The Silver Star Maternity Fund, which is part of Oxford Hospitals Charity, is expanding its charitable work at the John Radcliffe’s Maternity Unit.

Silver Star - which has recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary - is a ground-breaking unit based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, looking after women with complex pregnancies.

The original Silver Star Society was created to support the unit and provide additional funding for specialist medical equipment, important research into pregnancy complications and help to enhance patient care and the hospital environment.

The charitable fund has now expanded further to also provide additional support across the whole John Radcliffe Maternity Unit - meaning many more families can benefit.

Maggie Findlay, Fundraising Manager at Silver Star Maternity Fund, said:

“Having a baby is the most important moment in many people's lives, and we are delighted to now be able to do even more to support Oxfordshire families through this unique time.”

“We will of course continue to provide our innovative support for the Silver Star Unit, something we are incredibly proud of, but we also want to do more to help others giving birth at the John Radcliffe.

“Providing quality maternity care, whether for a straightforward birth or a more complicated pregnancy, is so important and our funding can help to make a difference, supporting mothers-to-be and the clinical teams who care for them at this very special time in their lives. We can’t wait to do even more.”

As part of the change the Silver Star Maternity Fund now has an office at the heart of the Women’s Centre at the John Radcliffe, making it easier for people to donate or find out more about fundraising for the cause.

Stephen Bell, Maternity Operational Services Manager at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We are delighted to hear that Silver Star Maternity Fund is now also supporting wards and departments across the whole of the John Radcliffe Maternity Unit.

“The fundraising for the Silver Star Unit over many years has had such an incredible impact – providing state-of-the-art monitoring systems and creating much more comfortable surroundings, so it is exciting to hear that this is being expanded to other maternity areas across the John Radcliffe.”

The Silver Star Maternity Fund office can be found at Level 2 of the Women’s Centre at the John Radcliffe. To donate to Silver Star simply mention the fund in the comments section.

You can also visit the dedicated Silver Star website at www.silverstaroxford.org