AN IVF clinic is celebrating 1,000 babies born since it began NHS-funded treatment in May 2009.

And Letchworth couple Laura and Damion Roberts were one of the families helped.

Laura, who had severe endometriosis, was treated at the Bourn Hall Clinic and was given drugs to control the natural menstrual cycle and stimulate egg production.

Baby Barney was born earlier this year and is the first grandchild for Laura’s parents – although he is the 14th for Damion’s parents.

“The whole family are over the moon,” said Laura, “however I think it is my Dad that’s the most besotted. Barney is his special little boy.

“Being a mum is absolutely fantastic. We feel like the luckiest couple in the world.”

Baby Barney, is one of over a thousand babies that have brought happiness to families across the region.

The East of England was also the first region in the UK to implement the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines in full.

This allows up to three fresh cycles of treatment for each patient.

However, Bourn Hall has achieved pregnancy for 70 per cent of its patients within two cycles, far exceeding the NHS performance targets.

Chief executive at Bourn Hall Clinic in Cambridgeshire, Mike Macnamee, said: “Concern about infertility is one of the most common reasons that young couples see their GPs.

“Our patients are on average in their mid-thirties and they will have been trying for a baby for two or more years before they are referred to a hospital for tests. For many people, treatment at this stage will boost their natural fertility sufficiently to conceive, however for those that require IVF they have access to world-class treatment on their doorstep.”