CHIPPENHAM NEWS: A FUNDRAISING event helped take a Chippenham couple's minds off imminent open heart surgery on their one-year-old daughter.

The Beaufort Hunt raised £800 for the Bristol Children's Hospital to help Julie and Rodney Picter, of Sherrington Mead, Pewsham, say thanks for the care baby Beth has received.

She was born with a rare heart abnormality, which resulted in a hole in her heart and the gradual narrowing of her pulmonary artery.

Beth's parents' anxious wait could soon be over as they are expecting their daughter to have the four-hour operation in the next couple of weeks.

Mrs Picter, who used to work as a groom for the hunt, said the cash collected before a meet at Hundred Acre Farm in Sherston on Saturday, came as a welcome relief. She said: "I'm absolutely ecstatic about the amount raised I could not believe it.

"All the fields were shut off so everybody had to come up the driveway. Several people were walking up and down with buckets and stickers were given out to those who donated money. Anybody who didn't have a sticker was chased for the rest of the day."

Mrs Picter said the level of care Beth has received has been overwhelming.

"Everyone has been fantastic. The hospital and The Lodge Surgery in Chippenham have been wonderfully supportive," she said.

To help say thanks to the Bristol hospital, Mrs Picter raised thousands of pounds by abseiling down the building and is planning a sponsored parachute jump.

At just five months old, Beth underwent keyhole surgery to insert a shunt into the artery to stop blood leaking outwards.

Complications, including chest infections, meant her operation was delayed, but Mrs Picter is now hoping everything will go to plan.

She said: "It has been a very worrying wait. Waiting is the hardest bit."

Beth also suffers from the rare chromosome condition, DiGeorge Syndrome, which has not only damaged her immune system, but has affected her growth and makes it difficult for her body to digest food.