Parents receiving support at Royal Cornwall Hospital can now benefit from packs of premature baby clothes thanks to Tesco.

In what can be a potentially stressful period, the retail giant has kindly donated F&F Premature Baby Essentials packs to the neonatal unit.

Each pack includes sleepsuits, bodysuits, hats and scratch mitts.

The Salvation Army is working in cooperation with Tesco to deliver the clothing.

Jan Marchant, managing director for Tesco’s Home & Clothing, said: "Premature babies are often unexpected and it can be difficult to find clothing items to fit at such short notice.

"We want to provide practical help to mums and dads at Royal Cornwall Hospital during a stressful time and help give the babies a stronger start in life."

Falmouth Packet: The retail giant has donated F&F Premature Baby Essentials packs to the Royal Cornwall Hospital's

Office for National Statistics data indicates 7-10 per cent of babies born in England and Wales are premature.

With 23,000 packs being distributed to 157 neonatal units, this means around half of premature babies will receive some of the F&F essentials.

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: "Having a baby born prematurely can be a really worrying time for so many, and it is fantastic that Tesco is donating specialist baby clothing to every NHS neonatal unit across England to provide additional help."

She expressed gratitude to both Tesco and the Salvation Army for their contributions, stating the clothing packs could make a significant difference to tens of thousands of babies and their families.

Head of corporate partnerships from the Salvation Army, Kirk Bradley, added: "We are happy to be supporting Tesco to deliver these much-needed items of clothing to the NHS neo-natal units, which are saving young lives."

In addition to their clothing donation, Tesco has previously helped struggling families by donating thousands of F&F coats through FareShare, the Salvation Army and the Cottage Family Centre children's charity in Kirkcaldy.