Luton house transformed through 'community spirit'

The house had 22 windows panes replaced, two new front doors and a new roof

A "triumph of community spirit" has seen a former council house renovated to accommodate parents whose babies are being cared for at a neo-natal unit.

About 80 volunteers transformed the 1930s semi-detached house in Luton over six months on behalf of the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

The value of the free work was about £90,000, the hospital said.

One parent said such free accommodation close to the hospital made a "world of difference".

A mural, showing pictures of the renovation, has been placed by the stairs of the house

In February the hospital launched NICU Big Build to recruit local tradespeople to renovate the former three-bedroom home, opposite the hospital, as a place for parents to stay while their children were treated at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

It has been turned into a five-bedroom property, complete with new roof, windows, a conservatory, updated kitchen and a new bathroom.

It is to open on Monday, supporting more than 420 families a year.

The kitchen has been transformed and completely updated, and a new washing machine installed

Furnishings for the house were donated by members of the public

The hospital also has a three-bedroom bungalow available for parents.

Zahida Bansal's daughter Hana was born at just under 25 weeks and spent two months in NICU.

Staying at the bungalow close to the hospital, "made a world of difference", she said.

"If the accommodation hadn't been available it would have been so much more stressful because we needed to be by Hana's side quickly," she said.

Liam Greer, whose daughter was transferred to the NICU, said: "To not have to travel and know you're only round the corner helps massively."

Work on the house on Dunstable Road, Luton, took six months to complete

Barry Gardiner, who volunteered to assemble flat-pack furniture at the house after being treated for bowel cancer at the hospital, said it was his way to "give something back".

Sarah Amexheta, head of Luton and Dunstable Hospital Charity Fund, said: "The accommodation has been a real triumph of community spirit."