A Wandsworth school has raised more than £9,000 to help provide equipment at St George’s Hospital to support breastfeeding mothers.

Three students from Broomwood Hall, in Nightingale Lane, visited the neonatal unit, a service for babies in need of intensive care, at the hospital to see how their funds have aided babies and their families.

Philippa Powell, deputy head at the school, said: “It was so lovely to be able to see what our fundraising has been able to provide to the unit.

“We will take back all that we’ve learnt and share it with the rest of the school.”

One of the students added: “I was expecting the unit to be more crowded and noisy, but actually it is very calm and peaceful.”

Broomwood Hall undertook the initiative through the Ickle Pickle Partnership, a charity which fundraises to support neonatal care across the United Kingdom.

The charity was set up by a mother who was cared for on the unit more than nine years ago.

Neonatal consultant, Dr Nigel Kennea, said: “Breast milk is absolutely vital for the wellbeing of premature babies.

“The school’s generous donation has helped buy special reclining feeding chairs, which enable better skin-to-skin contact, and breast pumps that can be used at the cot-side.”

To find out more about the Ickle Pickle Partnership, visit: www.icklepickles.org

You can also find out more about the neonatal unit here.