THE loving parents of a baby girl who died aged just 12 weeks have thanked generous friends and family for helping them to raise more than £36,000 for other families in need.

Katie and Ian Picken, from Great Bentley, were left heartbroken when their daughter Seren died last December.

Seren had a rare mitochondria disorder which prevented her from breaking down her food, stopping proteins from being turned into energy.

She died just 24 hours after being diagnosed.

Ian and Katie were able to stay close to Seren while she was at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridgeshire after being put up by the Sick Children’s Trust at its Acorn House.

The couple launched a campaign in a bid to raise £11,000 for the charity – covering the cost of a family room for a year – so other parents can stay close to their children in the hospital.

But thanks to family, friends and work colleagues, they raised more than three times that amount.

Following the Sick Children’s Trust’s Christmas carol service in London on Wednesday, the couple thanked all those who donated.

Ian said: “We have had a lovely, yet emotional evening and it has given us a chance to reflect on the fundraising we have done this year in memory of Seren.

“We are very conscious that we haven’t publicly thanked all of those who have supported us on our journey this year.

“Even after the epic bike ride finished life hasn’t slowed down for us, with lots of obstacles we still needed to face and overcome.

“We just want to say a massive thank you to all of you who have donated, fundraised and gave up their time to participate in our fundraising efforts.

“There are literally hundreds of you out there we owe thanks to.

“Over £36,000 has been raised in total and a few pounds still to come in.

“Having met people from the charity, we know that they are as grateful as we are for all your support.”

As part of the fundraising campaign, more than 100 people took part in a seven-mile sponsored from Walton to Clacton Pier and Ian and 13 other riders are also took part in a 320-mile bike ride from Aberystwyth Pier to Clacton.

The couple also thanked Genomics England’s 100,000 Genomes Project for helping them to find closure.

The project reached its goal of sequencing 100,000 whole genomes from NHS patients earlier this month.

Katie added: “I am pleased to say, Seren, Ian and I are one of those 100,000.

“The geneticists worked hard to get an answer for us and we cannot thank them enough for giving us closure for Seren and helping making our future brighter by knowing the odds of reoccurance for our future family.

“Their work is invaluable for families now and in the future.

To donate, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/inmemoryofseren.