Sutton Coldfield Observer deputy editor Mark Eustace managed to get in on the act when the newspaper ran a story about the opening of a new maternity ward.

Work to modernise Good Hope Hospital’s Ward Five began in September, and the paper had planned to mark the moment when it re-opened its doors.

And when it did, Mark – who edits sister title the Great Barr Observer – and his wife Mary, were coincidentally among the first through its doors, after the birth of their first baby earlier that day.

Their daughter Gemma Mary weighed in at 6lb 4oz.

The new-look ward is part of a £2.2m scheme to create a modern, homely and relaxed environment for mothers and their families, and Ward Four has now closed its doors to undergo similar refurbisment, which is due for completion by August.

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