STOURBRIDGE'S Mary Stevens Hospice and its inspirational staff have been named National Lottery Legends as part of a campaign celebrating people and projects across the UK which have made a difference to people's lives.

The Oldswinford based hospice scooped a National Lottery grant of £30,886 back in 2010 to develop a sensory garden to provide a restful and secluded space for patients which was opened the following year.

And the facility has proved a welcome refuge for patients with incurable or life-limiting conditions and their families ever since.

To highlight the benefits the garden has brought, thanks to the funding, the National Lottery featured the hospice and one of its GPs, Dr Victoria Smart, in a video on its Good Causes Facebook page and the short film has been viewed more than 18,000 times.

National Lottery chiefs have hailed all of the staff at the Hagley Road hospice as Lottery Legends and Jackie O’ Sullivan, from the National Lottery, said: “National Lottery legends come in all shapes and forms. They are the ordinary people in our society who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding.

“The National Lottery helps legends like Dr Smart to change lives. National Lottery players can be very proud to have helped support such an amazing individual and project.”

Dr Smart said the lottery funded garden at the hospice had been "fantastic" for patients and she added: "Most homes have a beautiful garden or people would like one and, as a result, whenever we admit a patient to hospital we can tell them to think about the hospice as their home rather than a clinical setting.

“It allows us to have a space that can be whatever they want it to be.”