THEY had longed for a baby and, when they found they couldn't have children of their own, they started renovating an old cottage to help them cope with a childless future.

But as Sue and Rick Meredith started making their house a home, doctors offered one last glimmer of hope – fertility treatment.

The Derbyshire couple eagerly accepted the chance to have a course of IVF.

"We had tried to come to terms with the fact that we couldn't have children but it was so very hard," said 51-year-old Sue.

"The doctors talked about us having fertility treatment and I was immediately interested in giving it a try. If they hadn't given up on us, how could I?

"They told me that it would still be a long shot but IVF might work.

"I wanted to try it even though we might not have been successful."

Sue had IVF treatment at CARE Fertility, in Nottingham, and became the proud mother of two boys after two successful attempts.

Sue and Rick, a 52-year-old GP in Chesterfield, became one of the first couples in Derbyshire to be treated at the hospital, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month.

"Having children has been better than winning the Lottery," said Sue, who lives in Stonedge, near Ashover.

"I have been the luckiest woman alive.

"Even now, the memories of all those years ago are fresh.

"I can think back to having my treatment and I can remember exactly how I felt.

"I was anxious but at the same time I really, really wanted a family."

Sue's sons, James, 19, and Ed, or Woody, 16, have been the light of her life.

James is studying law at Oxford University and Woody is a student at Denstone College.

Her twin daughters, conceived naturally following the birth of her boys, are also an inspiration to the busy mother-of-four.

Fourteen-year-old Emily and Clare are pupils at Denstone.

"The house became a 'work in progress' because we were looking after the children, but it was lovely," she said.

"It was wonderful to have the house filled with children. It was what I'd always wanted.

"It's been crazy, but I've loved every second of it."

Sue was told that she would struggle to conceive naturally because of gynaecological condition endometriosis.

"There wasn't much hope for us," said Sue.

"Then there were talks about having some fertility treatment and obviously I jumped at the chance.

"It was my last and only hope to have a baby."

Sue had already undergone all kinds of operations and procedures to help her conceive, but nothing had worked.

"I'd gone through a lot already," said Sue.

"But as a last resort I was keen to give IVF a go.

"The doctors still weren't holding out much hope, but we'd been offered the treatment."

In October 1988, Sue and Rick had their first treatment of IVF at CARE Fertility, in Nottingham.

"I moved into the hospital for a week while I had the treatment. It was so different back then.

"I had my own room and spent the time resting and getting ready for the IVF.

"It's a very different story now.

"Women don't tend to put their lives on hold quite so much these days – they simply can't.

"They still go to work and usually organise their treatment around their busy schedules.

"For me, back then, it wasn't an option.

"I wanted a baby so much I was willing to do almost anything."

Discovering that the IVF had worked, says Sue, was nothing short of a miracle.

But halfway through her pregnancy, disaster struck.

Doctors discovered that the baby was developing without its kidneys and would be unable to survive after birth.

"It was truly awful," said Sue.

"To discover I was pregnant was absolutely fantastic but then the complications happened.

"I knew something was wrong when I ended up being the last person still waiting around after my scan.

"The news was desperately upsetting."

Sue and Rick were sent to Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London, where doctors confirmed that the baby had no renal system.

"I was 31 years old and my world fell apart," said Sue.

"It was a real low point, a huge one in my life.

"The baby was a little boy. He was tiny and perfect."

A year after the trauma, Sue decided to have more IVF and after just one attempt, doctors revealed she was pregnant.

"I was totally overwhelmed and shocked," said Sue.

"I was so happy and I remember thanking the doctors so much.

"I had so much help and support from the team at CARE.

"They were wonderful to me.

"I was overjoyed but I never stopped appreciating the work of the doctors who had helped us."

Sue took her IVF treatment extremely seriously – for, she says, two reasons.

Being married to a GP made her realise just how grateful she should be and then there was the cost of this kind of treatment 25 years ago.

"It wasn't cheap," said Sue. "We spent thousands of pounds on IVF and that's another reason why I had to give it my full attention.

"My heart sang when doctors told me that I was pregnant with James.

" It was a really good day.

"I had two frozen embryos left after the treatment to get James and that's why we decided to try for a second baby."

Two years later, Sue fell lucky again.

"It was another joy," she said. "I was so pleased that the treatment had worked.

"It was fantastic news. We'd gone from being a couple without any children to having two.

"We saved hard for the treatment but our parents also helped us.

"Each IVF cycle was around £2,000."

Sue loved her life with Rick and the boys but nothing prepared for her the double shock of becoming pregnant with twins – and naturally, too.

"For the first time in 11 years, I'd stopped thinking about getting pregnant and having children and then I discovered I was having another baby.

"I was totally overwhelmed because I'd not had fertility treatment. Then, the scan revealed that I was having twins."

Sue remembers being told about the babies.

"Rick had Woody on his knee when the sonographer told us that there were two heartbeats.

"The pair almost ended up on the floor when Rick heard the news.

"It was joyful shock – that's the way to describe how we felt."

Sue was elated when the twins turned out to be girls and says she felt truly blessed.

"I had four children under the age of five and that was very hectic," said Sue.

"But I wouldn't have changed it for the world.

"The house took a whole lot longer to finish but that's because we had to make it a whole lot bigger.

"It has been wonderful and it's all thanks to the team of doctors at the clinic in Nottingham."