A 92-year-old woman from Bury St Edmunds was able to watch her daughter get married from her hospital ward after staff rallied round to arrange a video call - as well as hair, makeup and decorations.

Doris Smith, a patient on the stroke ward at West Suffolk Hospital, came into the hospital's care following a stroke in mid-May.

She was concerned she was going to miss the wedding of Mel, and soon-to-be son-in-law, Sean ‘Fred’ Davidson.

The newlyweds have praised the efforts of the West Suffolk Hospital staff for the lengths they went to in ensuring Mrs Smith could be a part of their special day.

Daughter Mel Davidson said: “We would both like to extend our gratitude to the staff of the stroke ward and Keeping in Touch team who made this possible.

“It was obviously disappointing that my mum could not attend the day as she was not well enough, but what the staff did was the next best outcome, and is a memory that we will cherish forever.”

With the special day held on Friday June 18, the Keeping in Touch team - set up at the beginning of the pandemic to help loved ones ‘visit’ inpatients online - worked with Fred to organise a video call between the ward and the St Mary’s Church in Ufford.

Maria Musgrove, ward manager on the stroke ward, said: “We were determined to make it a special day for Doris as we knew how much it would mean to her and her family.

”It was so heart-warming to see how happy Doris was when she saw our wedding display, and I felt extremely privileged reading to Doris the beautiful words Mel had written to her in a card."