Meet Lidl Holly - the baby born in a supermarket car park

Mum Natasha Thomson and dad Marc Voyzey were already on their way to the University of North Tees from their home in Peterlee after the 33-year-old call centre worker began to go into labour.

But when Natasha told her 31-year-old partner they didn’t have time to get there, he pulled over into the first safest place – the Lidl supermarket off Essington Way.

Marc had been calling 999 from their Seat Leon as they drove and had planned to drive to the North East Ambulance Service’s base in the town for help, but was told by the operator to stop as soon as they can so paramedics could come to them.

Within five minutes of pulling over, Holly Jasmine was in her parents’ arms, leaving her mum and dad shocked but delighted following her birth just after 7am on Friday, May 21.

Their baby girl, who was due on Tuesday, May 26, arrived weighing 7lb 5oz, and joins older brother Lucas, seven, and sister Charlotte, two, who are already doting on their new sister,

The new addition is home with mum as they settle into family life following a check-up at hospital.

Marc, who works as a scaffolder, said: “We left the house and were heading straight for North Tees and heading through the town centre when she said ‘Marc, the baby’s coming.

“They said the ambulance would come to us, so that was it, I pulled up in Lidl car park, put my hazard lights on and within five minutes, she was here.

“A fair few people realised what was happening and saw the ambulance come.

“I was there when Charlotte came, so it wasn’t too much of a shock.

“It all happened so fast, we didn’t have the chance to think, we thought we’re going to have to do this.

“I can’t believe how well Tash did, looking at her half an hour, an hour afterwards, you wouldn’t imagine she’d just given birth.

“Since she's been home, she’s said she’s been feeling sore, but she’s done amazingly well.”We were in hospital for 14 hours, because they were quite busy with a few other babies arriving, and then we were home.”

News of her arrival soon spread around the town, with scores of strangers joining friends and family congratulating the couple on the arrival of their daughter.

Marc added: “Everybody’s found it pretty comical to be honest.

“I got a text off a friend when we were at hospital saying check out Facebook and people saying ‘Tasha, you’re Facebook famous.

“We’ve had loads of messages from people saying well done.

“It's a funny story we’ll be able to tell her when she’s older and nobody else can say that, you couldn’t make it up that you were born in a Lidl car park in Peterlee.”

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