A mum whose daughter was born weighing less than half a bag of sugar is organising a charity event to raise money for premature babies.

Tiny Maddison Bryan weighed little more than one pound when she was born 14 weeks early in June 2005. Despite a fight to keep her alive, the little girl died in the arms of her mother, Wendy Porter, last September.

Now Wendy wants to raise cash for the neonatal unit which cared for Maddison.

Wendy had the dangerous condition pre-eclampsia while she was pregnant and doctors were forced to deliver Maddison at 23-weeks to save mother and child.

Wendy, from Uvedale Crescent in New Addington, said: "My blood pressure sky-rocketed. I could have had a stroke or heart attack so they had to deliver by Caesarian.

"Maddie weighed one pound and 20 ounces when she was born. She was born at 26 weeks but had stopped growing at 23 weeks. You could hold her in the palm of one hand.

"She spent the first nine months of her life in intensive care. But she turned a corner and she was allowed home, although she needed oxygen."

However, Wendy and her partner Colin Bryan's happiness was short-lived. Just six weeks later Maddison developed further breathing problems and the couple were forced to take her back to hospital, where her health deteriorated over the following months.

Wendy added: "During Maddie's last episode I knew something wasn't right. I could tell by her face she'd had enough. We knew there was nothing more they could do for her. A week later she died.

"It was important for me to let her die with dignity. She spent so much time hooked up to machines so I gave her a bath and put her in pyjamas. Then I held her in my arms. I brought her into the world, I wanted to be there when she left it."

Wendy is organising a black-tie charity event in Eastbourne on Saturday, June 2, with another premature baby mother, whose son survived thanks to the specialist care he received. The event will raise money for Guys and St Thomas's neonatal unit and a special baby care unit in Eastbourne.

Wendy added: "I'm devastated we lost Maddie, but I feel blessed we had her for as long as we did. She should have died at birth but she made it to 14 months. To us she was a miracle baby.

"If a baby like Maddie, who effectively only had the use of one lung, can survive for that long imagine the chances other premature babies with two lungs will have, thanks to the specialist care they receive."

For more information, visit myspace.com/earlybabies.