MIDWIVES from Furness General Hospital are swapping their uniforms for hi-tech cycling gear and are calling on the public to join them in raising funds to help improve the maternity experience at their hospital.

The midwives have joined forces with The Rotary Club of Furness and will be taking part in this year’s Tour de Furness charity cycle event on Sunday, September 11.

The Call the Midwife team is raising funds for Morecambe Bay Hospitals Charity and has set themselves a target of £5,000.

Sascha Wells, director of midwifery at the Morecambe Bay Trust (UHMBT), said: “I’m calling on all local women who’ve given birth at FGH along with your partners, families and friends to help raise as much money as we can to help buy those little extras for your new maternity unit.”

FGH’s new maternity unit, which is due to open by December 2017, will be split over two floors and will include 14 en-suite birthing rooms, two dedicated operating theatres, a Special Care Baby Unit, Maternity Assessment, and a Bereavement Suite.

Dave Salt, committee chair of Tour de Furness, said: "We’ve been running the event for over 21 years now and have raised well over £400,000 for a huge number of local charities, all nominated by the riders taking part so we were only too happy to support Morecambe Bay Hospitals Charity "Call the Midwife" team when they approached us.

"The Tour de Furness is a great way for individual cyclists or teams to raise funds for their chosen charities and what better charity than one which supports your local hospital’s maternity unit."

If you would like to join the “Call the Midwife” team, please contact: Heidi Bowron, Membership & Charity Office at FGH on 01229 404473 or heidi.bowron@mbht.nhs.uk

To donate and help the midwives reach their target of £5000, please visit mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/callthemidwife.