CALLING all kind-hearted Southampton residents and businesses - your hospital needs you.

Staff at Southampton General Hospital have issued a heartfelt appeal to the people and firms of the city for toys for the children's wards.

Every year Christmas presents are given out to the youngsters unlucky enough to be in hospital over the festive season, but the wards are still a few gifts short of a stocking this year.

Kim Harris, assistant fundraiser for the hospital, said: "The children's ward have got no toys for Christmas.

"Russ Berry have been very good to us in the past and they've given us a couple of bags of stuffed toys, but we would say we need about 100 more toys.

"The families that visit their children, if they've got brothers or sisters we try and give them a little toy as well so they don't feel left out."

She added: "We've got a play co-ordinator and she said she's going to go and buy a few things, but it won't be enough.

"Vosper Thornycroft came up with £500 to buy some toys and we've had some help from Tomy Toys, but we still need some more.

"And kids do like new toys, they prefer them to older things, so if they could be new or nearly new, that would be great."

The toys are to be given out among the hospital's cancer and cardiac children's wards, as well as the paediatric emergency assessment unit and the general paediatric wards.

If you can help make a child's Christmas this year, by donating an extra toy to the hospital call the Daily Echo newsdesk on 023 8042 4522.