THE Stroke Unit at Hereford County Hospital now has the latest hi-tech observation machine to monitor patient's vital signs, including blood pressure and temperature.

The new piece of portable equipment was a gift from the family of Vic Jones, a leading city sportsman who died in the unit in July last year, aged 84.

His widow, Mrs Kath Jones, herself a former sister at the hospital, together with his granddaughter Kizzy Knight and the rest of the family held a coffee morning at Holmer Church Centre which together with donations at the funeral raised £2,200 to pay for the machine.

Linda Kehoe, the sister in charge of the unit said: “Having this advanced technological multi-purpose machine in the unit will be a great benefit to our nursing team and the patients they care for.

"We are very grateful to Kath and her family for such a generous gift in Vic’s memory.”