A HEARTBROKEN mum has thanked friends and family for their kind donations after her baby son died suddenly.

Nicola Hick’s relatives set up a crowd funding website for her nine-month-old son Kyle Durkin when he passed away on July 12 to raise money for his headstone and funeral.

Donations smashed the £3,000 target last week and are still flooding in for the popular tot, who captured the imagination of everyone who knew him.

Miss Hick, 25, is also planning to donate any leftover money to five charities that helped her and her partner, Martyn Durkin, during Kyle's time in hospital.

They include Hull Neonatal, York Special Care, Embrace Ambulance Service, The Sick Children's Trust and The Children's Heart Surgery Fund.

She said: "I never thought I would get that much.

"I'm quite shocked by the response but really appreciate it and can't thank everyone enough.

"We were shocked when it reached £1,000 and the amount of people who have donated is touching our hearts.

"It's encouraging us to keep going when we see the amount of people who have taken the time to think about Kyle.

"The support is comforting but I'm just trying to keep busy and plan the funeral. It's a bit more reassuring that we don't have to cut costs and do what we want to do for him.

"Whatever money is left, whether it's £10 or £100 it's going to charity."

Kyle spent months in intensive care after he was born in October 2014, weighing just 1lb 7oz.

He looked to have defied doctors when he was able to go home after an operation to repair three holes in his heart, but he was unable to recover and Miss Hick woke up on the morning of July 12 to find his heart had stopped beating.

Fundraisers are also set to go ahead, including a family fun day at York Railway Institute, in Holgate, on October 18, and a live music night on August 7 at The Mount pub.

To donate money visit https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/geoffrey-thompson-2