Local residents and, particularly, mums-to-be were invited to the launch of Paulton Hospital's newly-refurbished Delivery Room, 'Ben's Room', on Tuesday, 9th July, with a huge £10,000 donation from local charity, Time is Precious, having allowed for work to begin. The suite was officially opened by actor, Will Thorp, on Tuesday afternoon.

Will, who is a patron of the Time is Precious charity, has appeared in Coronation Street and Doctor Who in recent years. The official opening gave people the chance to compare the new suite, with photographs of the old room.

The new room is a much more comfortable and relaxing place for new mums to give birth, with four deliveries having already been made in the room. The suite was completely refurbished with it now comprising of new floors, cupboards, birthing bean bags, a Dyson fan and an iPod station, among other things. It was a special, one-off project by the Time is Precious Committee as a way to give back to the local area.

The refurbishment was completed in memory of Ben Halford, with money raised from various events, including the annual HSBC Cycle Challenge 2012, which raised £6,000 towards the new rooms. This year's Cycle Challenge will be on Sunday, 13th October.

Other donations came from the Ralph and Irma Sperring Trust, who donated £1,000 and the Midsomer Norton and Radstock Lions, who donated £500.

Marie Brooks, who works in the maternity ward, said:?"With this new refurbishment, the ward can now stay open for the foreseeable future. We wanted to hold a big event with the opening of the new room, so that people can see that our maternity ward is very much open and to raise awareness of the work we do here."

All the furniture in the new room was donated to the hospital, including the plaque on the door. The hospital and the Time is Precious Committee would like to thank everyone who donated for their generosity.

The next event being hosted by Time is Precious is their Character Day on Friday, 12th July.