Baby Finley feels like a 'gift from Charlie' say his parents

A YOUNG Plymouth couple say they have been given the "best Christmas gift ever", after their little boy made an early arrival on December 25, two years after their family suffered the heartbreak of a tragic loss.

- KATIE TIMMS

Ross Rice and Courtney Lugg were given the due date of December 26 for their son, but he decided to give them the best Christmas gift by arriving on Christmas Day.

First-time mum Courtney's contractions began at 5am and just hours later, at Derriford Hospital, Finley Shaun Charlie Rice made his way into the world at 7.03am.

His arrival comes just under two years after the death of 27-year-old Ross' younger brother, Charlie.

The couple say little Finley, who weighed 7lb 5.5oz, is "the angel he [Charlie] has gifted us from above" and are both "over the moon".