Charity working to get mother home after Cyprus birth

An air ambulance charity has said it hopes to assist a woman from Devon, who gave birth 16 weeks prematurely in Cyprus, to come home with her newborn.

Bethany Cleathero went into labour at the end of June, hours before she was due to fly home from holiday.

She and baby Molly remain in hospital as she receives neo-natal treatment costing about £860 a day.

The Lucy Air Ambulance for Children said it wanted to get them home but still needed £14,000 more to do so.

The family also said documents were needed, including a passport for Molly.

The Cleatheros, from Cullompton, were on holiday when Mrs Cleathero went into labour on the day they were due to travel back, 29 June.

Mrs Cleathero was classed as fit to fly when they went out.

She and her husband, Jan, also believed their travel insurance and international health cards would provide sufficient cover.

However, Molly has required neo-natal hospital treatment, which has seen medical bills of about 1,000 euros (£860) a day mounting up, the family said.

Jan Cleathero said they had had language barrier problems, and they "want her home ... in an NHS facility" for treatment.

Lucy Air Ambulance for Children said "it was facilitating an air ambulance to fly them back".

It said: "We have worked really hard with the family to raise £31,000, but, unfortunately, we still need to raise an additional £14,000 funds to enable this to happen".

Staff said they were "reaching out" to businesses and community groups for help.

However, the Cleatheros said the British High Commission in Cyprus still had not issued emergency travel documents.

Bethany Cleathero said: "We didn't choose to have a baby at 25 weeks, and neither did Molly.

"Bad days are probably ahead and we would rather have them back in the UK."

The family's MP, Liberal Democrat Richard Foord, said it had been "shocking" and "utterly unacceptable" they had been "stuck in bureaucratic limbo, waiting for the Home Office to get its act together".

He said he had "personally called the Home Office to raise this case as an urgent priority".

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: "We are providing assistance to a British family in Cyprus to obtain an emergency travel document as soon as possible."

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