MAUREEN Augey knows only too well the anguish of seeing her desperately sick child suffer. She went through that particular hell when her two-year-old son came down with the potentially fatal brain condition, meningitis.

As a staff nurse on York Hospital's children's ward, Maureen also knows exactly what it is like to care for other people's youngsters in a similar serious condition.

"I do know how parents are feeling," she says. "For any parent, their child is the most important thing in their life."

Managers at York Hospital reckon Maureen's experience makes her the ideal person to spearhead the development of its high-dependency unit - a unit which is being created thanks entirely to you, our readers.

You have responded so generously to our £300,000 Guardian Angels appeal that we have already been able to hand over the first slice of cash to turn plans for the unit into a reality, bringing a permanent improvement in the way youngsters from York, North and East Yorkshire are cared for in their hour of need.

We couldn't agree more with the decision the hospital has made in choosing Maureen as project nurse for the new unit.

We wish her every success in her work, and we urge all our readers to get behind her.

A whopping £77,000 has been raised already, but so much more needs to be done if we are to hit our £300,000 target.

Staff on the children's ward at York Hospital have touched the lives of thousands of families in York, North and East Yorkshire.

It's time for us all to repay that debt.