THE parents of a girl born with a serious heart condition are calling for children’s heart surgery in Southampton to be saved from closure.

Mark and Deb Banyard moved from Reading to Locks Heath last summer because they were so impressed by the care on offer at the city’s General Hospital.

Their four-year-old daughter, Cora, was born with major complications including having only half a heart and two wrongly positioned main blood vessels. She also has a hole in her heart.

After she was born Mark, 40, and Deb, who also have another daughter, Zelie, aged two, were told she would need to undergo three open-heart operations to prolong her life.

At just a day old Cora underwent a heart operation at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital before undergoing further open heart surgery at six weeks.

Then at 19 months she underwent more open heart surgery at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Now under the care of Southampton’s surgeons, Deb said the treatment her daughter had so far received has been outstanding.

“They are amazing the way they treat the children.

“At the moment they are looking at different surgical options for Cora and carrying out lots of tests to see what will be best for her.

“They are doing everything they can to make her future as good as it can be.”

“When Cora has been on the Ocean children’s ward the nursing care has been brilliant too.

“The staff give the children stickers and rewards and you can talk to anyone.

“They all really care and are all very compassionate. They absolutely put the children and the families first. Nothing is too much trouble.”

Deb, 37, added: “When Cora went to Southampton General it was so welcoming that she asked me if she could go again – that is priceless.”

Now Mark, who works for General Electric, and Deb hope children’s heart surgery will stay in Southampton.

Under the current national NHS review the country’s 11 existing children’s heart surgery centres – including Southampton General – could be replaced by fewer but larger centres.

A hospital spokesman said it was confident the review would support children’s heart surgery in Southampton.

Campaigners hoping to save the service will today attend a public meeting in Southampton about the national plans.