PARENTS Charlotte and Mark Trowbridge are desperately looking for volunteers to help them in their mammoth task to raise £30,000 in memory of their brave and courageous daughter who died of a rare heart defect when she was less than two weeks old.

Amelia was born on October 16 last year and apparently in good health. But ten days after her birth she suffered heart failure at home and was rushed into Yeovil District Hospital where she was then transferred to a specialist unit at Southampton General Hospital.

Within 16 hours of falling ill at home Amelia had been diagnosed as having a rare defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome where the left ventricle does not develop correctly inside the womb.

Charlotte said: "This new was devastating as we had no idea that Amelia was born with part of her heart missing.

"When Amelia's heart went into failure she also suffered liver and kidney damage and her fight for life ended on October 29 when she was just 13 days old."

And Charlotte added: "She died in our arms and it is something neither of us will forget. You feel so helpless not being able to protect your child like a mummy and daddy is supposed to do."

But Charlotte and Mark decided that to help them to get over their grief was to start a fund called Amelia's Appeal with a target of £30,000 in aid of the Yeovil Special Care Baby Unit, Southampton's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and the British Heart Foundation.

They want to buy the Yeovil unit much-needed monitors and a water incubator to keep babies warm from delivery to the special care unit. They want to buy Southampton a kidney dialysis unit as they only have one machine and more often than not they have two or three children that need to use it any one time. And they want to provide funds for the British Heart Foundation to research Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome which is being studied at Southampton University.

Charlotte said: "Our way of coping with our grief is to raise £30,000 this year as a big thank you for the special people who gave us an extra three days with Amelia. No words can express how wonderful these people were at the time and have been since."

But she added that they needed a lot more support from willing volunteers, companies and organisations if they were to succeed and reach their goal.

One of their big money-spinning events will be on August 3 with a family fun day and dog show at the Yeovil Showground site in Dorchester Road from 11am to 6pm where they need people to man stalls and act as car park attendants and help with other duties.

A fundraising five-a-side football tournament will be held at Yeovil Town FC's Huish Park stadijm on July 14 and Charlotte and Mark are looking for teams to enter.

But funds will be boosted for Amelia's Appeal this Sunday (June 23) when Chicago Rock Caf in Stars Lane, Yeovil, hosts a 60s and 70s fancy dress party from 8pm until midnight with live music provided by Cloud Ten. Admission will be £2 in fancy dress and £3 in non fancy dress with all proceeds going to the appeal.

Anybody who would like to help with Amelia's Appeal can phone Mark or Charlotte Trowbridge on 01935-471965 or look at their website on www.ameliasappeal.co.uk.