A SPECIAL woman has been recognised for her hard work crafting hundreds of hand-made mementos for hospital patients and their families.

Irene Morgan was given the High Sheriff Special Recognition Award for her part in the crafting of over 2,000 hearts used at Royal Bolton Hospital during the pandemic.

Hundreds of identical pairs of hearts were made, allowing one of the hearts to be with the patient staying in the borough's hospital, whilst the other stayed with their family.

Irene and her sewing group made many of the hearts, with her campaign encouraging so many other people to help that the hospital had over 2,000 of the hand-made creations at one point.

The hearts have helped many families feel close to their loved ones when they were unable to visit, and have also comforted many bereaved families in their grief after losing a relative.

Irene was nominated for the accolade by the bereavement team at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, and was given the award last month.

A spokesman for the Trust said: "We wanted to share these photos and thank Irene again for her hard work and support during these times."

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, hospital visitation has been limited or paused to prevent the spread of the virus, meaning many family members were unable to be with their loved ones during their final hours.