A CAMPAIGNER and mum is calling on parents in North Oxfordshire to gather up the cuddly toys and join a celebration for babies born at the Horton General Hospital.

Emma Gold, 33, from Banbury, has co-organised a teddy bears' picnic in Spiceball Park this Sunday for people of all ages to show their solidarity with staff.

Last month Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust agreed to temporarily suspend obstetric services at the Horton due to a lack of middle-grade doctors.

For the time being expectant mothers deemed high-risk will need to travel to the John Radcliffe Hospital for treatment and the future of the unit is uncertain.

Mrs Gold, whose two-year-old daughter Lily was born at the Horton, said: "We thought it would be lovely to do a picnic to celebrate all the Horton babies.

"It will be nice to focus on something nice. The last month has been absolutely heartbreaking and on Sunday we will show we haven't stopped fighting."

The event runs from 12pm to 4.30pm in the park and is free to join, with stalls and activities costing 50p to £1.

Proceeds will go to the Keep the Horton General campaign.

Mrs Gold added: "It has evolved so much. The main thing is the picnic but it will have pony rides and face painting; it's going to be a bit like a fete for everybody in Banbury to come together."