SHE weighed only 1lb 10oz less than a bag of sugar when she was born 13 weeks premature.

And she spent the first three months of her life in the special care baby unit at York District Hospital, and also underwent a double hernia operation at Leeds.

But those worrying times are now well behind for Sarah Morley and her family as the fit and healthy four-year-old has just started school.

Sarah loves every minute of it and even won a certificate and trophy in her first week at Osbaldwick Primary, partly in recognition of her kindness to other pupils.

Now the school has agreed to help raise funds for the SCBU at York District Hospital with an event next February, at the request of Sarah's mother Alison.

Mrs Morley, of Broughton Way, Osbaldwick, has already raised many hundreds of pounds for the unit since Sarah's time there.

She said Sarah had been delivered 13 weeks early after she, Alison, had developed pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening condition in pregnancy involving dangerously high blood pressure.

She said the first few weeks of Sarah's life had been very worrying and it was "wonderful and miraculous" to see her now going to school so healthy and happy.

"We are just so grateful," she said. "I hope what has happened with Sarah will give encouragement to other parents going through similar experiences to ours."

Updated: 09:04 Thursday, September 19, 2002