Martha's March to Long Bennington planned to raise money for upgrade to neonatal intensive care unit at Nottingham City Hospital

A team of 50 friends and family are preparing to walk the journey that a premature baby would have made home, had she lived.

Martha's March on Saturday will raise money for the full refurbishment of the garden room at the neonatal intensive care unit at Nottingham City Hospital.

Martha was born at the hospital at 23 weeks and died six days later.

The garden room was where her parents, Adrian and Amanda Hallam, were given devastating news of their daughter's condition.

Saturday's walk is over 20 miles and will be to the Long Bennington home of Adrian and Amanda, who have so far raised over £8,000 towards an £18,104 target.

So many people are taking part that a double-decker bus had to be hired to take them all to the start line.

"We chose this route as this is the journey home our daughter Martha should have made, but tragically was unable to do so," Amanda said.

"Our mission is to make the room a less clinical environment for families with premature or sick newborn babies.

"This is the room where we had the most devastating conversations.

"Our six days on Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is where we FaceTimed family and where we chatted to other parents. It’s where I sat and waited whilst they ventilated Martha after she pulled her tube out.

"It’s where the doctors told us how incredibly poorly she was. And it’s where we were led at 5.45am one morning to be told under bright and jarring lights every parent’s greatest fear, that now was the time to call our family so that they may come to say goodbye."

The work they want to pay for will include installing feature ceiling light panels and replacing all existing lighting, existing base units, worktops and splashbacks, flooring furniture and blinds, repositioning existing clinical apparatus, and installing bespoke units and shelving, as well as painting walls and installing feature wall and providing artwork.

"It’s a waiting room," said Amanda. "It’s a room for medical conversations, updates, and consultations. It’s where parents go for a moment of quiet and a chance to gather their thoughts.

"Nothing will ever make the conversations any easier. Our hope is that for those calling this space home while their children need care, that a more calming environment, away from the stark and often overwhelming clinical nature of the ward, might make the days spent here a little easier."

Martha Marisa Hallam was born at 3.31pm on November 26.

She was an extremely premature at 24 weeks and two days gestation and weighed only 810g.

As soon as she arrived, she fought to breathe, so was immediately ventilated and whisked off to neonatal intensive care.

Receiving individual 24-hour care on NICU, in her first few days Martha’s condition remained stable.

She was described as feisty.

She was looked after tirelessly by an incredible team of nurses and doctors, but she developed an infection and sadly her lungs continued to deteriorate, and her little heart wasn’t strong enough.

At 8.30am on December 2, 2021, Martha died in her mum's arms.

She fought until her very last moment and held on long enough to meet her grandparents. She was six-days-old and never got to meet her big brother, Henry.

Amanda said: "The two weeks we spent in hospital were the most traumatic of our lives, but the care, love, and kindness the NHS gave to our family was exceptional.

"We were blessed with the most incredible team of midwives, surgeons, consultants, nurses, and doctors. Over and above the medical care, they enveloped us with compassion, sensitivity and hand holding.

"We will be forever grateful, and it is our aim to make our girl proud, do all we can to thank them and help other families that find themselves in a situation like ours."

Adrian said: "Our little boy Henry is what has got us through this incredibly difficult. He sees other brothers and sisters and can't understand why he doesn't have his.

"It's difficult for a five-year-old to comprehend, but he's been awesome and without him I don't know what we would have done."

To donate, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/marthasmarch