A TREE to remember loved ones who died after contracting coronavirus has been donated to Royal Bolton Hospital in memory of a former nurse.

Christine Noone, 73, died at the borough hospital on July 3 after contracting the deadly virus.

The former nurse cared for others for 40 years, spending a large portion of her career at the Royal Bolton Hospital until she retired in 2008.

Her son Chris, who lives in Middleton, donated the magnolia tree to the hospital garden on Wednesday in memory of his mum.

He said: "She died in the hospital where she had worked – she received such great care on the ward that I wanted the tree to be at the hospital.

"Mum believed in our NHS so I felt this was the best place, it was a way of remembering her and all she did as a nurse, a job she loved.

"The hanging of the yellow hearts shows she was not just a number or statistic – she is a person.

"People walking down the corridor can see the tree and if they’ve lost someone to covid-19 then they can hang a heart too for their loved one."

A bag of small yellow hearts, made from felt, have been left next to the tree for other people to add their own memories.

After Mr Noone placed the first heart on the tree, friends and former colleagues of his mum placed their own hearts onto the branches in Christine's memory.

The colourful symbol was first used as a special way to remember people who have died because of coronavirus in May.

Hannah and Becky Gompertz and their granddad, David, came up with the idea after their grandma, Sheila, passed away.

They wanted a special way to remember her and others who have died due to coronavirus, and to show other people that they were grieving so they didn't feel alone.

Alongside the bag of hearts, Mr Noone has written a poem, which he has attached to the tree.

It reads: "Covid took my mother, so I bought this tree. A tree for yellow hearts, so everyone could see.

"She was not just a number, a statistic they'd say. She was someone I loved, and miss every day.

"So come leave your hearts, and messages of love. For all those taken by the virus, who now watch from above.

"They won't be forgotten, of this we'll make sure. Yellow hearts seen forever, the love will endure."