WITH £1m already in the bag, the mission to reach the £2m milestone is under way.

Youngsters who had their lives saved by Southampton’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) celebrated with staff as the Friends of PICU hosted their Million Pound Party at the weekend.

Just eight years ago the charity was set up by nurse Rosie Mitchell to fund specialist equipment and improve parent accommodation to ensure the best chance of survival for the city’s most poorly babies at Southampton General Hospital.

At the East Horton Golf Club, the charity celebrated raising its first £1m, complete with special fireworks, with a promise from patrons, actors Sarah Parish and her husband James Murray to raise the next million.

The couple, who became patrons of the charity after the tragic loss of their eight-month-old daughter Ella-Jayne, due to a rare heart condition, announced their new venture for the charity.

They have set up the Murray Parish Trust which has pledged to buy two new specialist cubicles for the unit, which will cost £1m.