It will be a very special first birthday for twins Tia and Callum Jackson.

Born three months premature, the twins spent 12 weeks in intensive care before they were allowed home last year.

Now parents Stephen and Mandy, of Reigate Road, Brighton, are planning a huge family party to mark the birth of the babies they very nearly lost.

The emotional rollercoaster ride began on July 27 last year when Tia and Callum arrived completely unexpectedly.

Former home carer Mandy, 34, said: "I went in for a scan and they told me they wouldn't be able to do it because I was going to have the babies instead. I couldn't believe what they were saying. It was such a shock."

Tia was born first, weighing just 1lb and 12oz, and was followed just over an hour later by her twin brother, just a few ounces heavier.

The babies were immediately whisked off to intensive care where they spent the next three months wired up to incubators.

Stephen and Mandy endured countless agonies as they waited to see if the babies would survive.

At one point Tia suffered a cardiac arrest when both her lungs collapsed. She then caught an infection and had to have four blood transfusions. Mandy said: "So many times during those weeks we feared the worst.

"The staff were very honest and told us it was 50/50 whether they would survive. I remember one time we waited up all night for the phone to ring and when it did we couldn't pick it up.

"That whole period was very traumatic. We used to go up to the hospital twice a day, every day. Whenever we came home it was as if the babies had died. The rest of our lives did not exist beyond that."

Thanks to the efforts of staff at the Trevor Mann Baby Unit at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, the twins survived.

Now a year later, both are thriving and healthy and growing up with their parents and four-year-old sister, Hayley.

A family barbecue is being planned for the end of the month to celebrate the twins' first birthday.

Mandy and Stephen also want to thank all the hospital staff who made it possible. Mandy said: "The nurses and doctors were so good. They comforted us all the time and we really want to thank them for all their hard work."

Stephen, 26, added: "It's a very special year to celebrate for us because our babies are still with us. It's such an achievement that we have all got through this year. We've pulled through because we have had to be strong for each other."