SELLING stuffed heart decorations has raised more than £3,000 for a hospital charity.

Debbie Spencer, from near Tidworth, has been creating personalised hanging hearts for Salisbury District Hospital's Stars Appeal for the past two years, contributing profit to the MRI scanner campaign.

The 53-year-old began her crafty hobby when she was admitted to Salisbury District Hospital prior to surgery, as she wanted something to do to pass the time waiting for treatment.

A user of the MRI scanner herself, Debbie wanted "a way of saying thank you" to the "fantastic surgeons and staff" at the hospital, who cared for her during her stay.

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During her time at the hospital, Debbie gave hearts to both staff and patients, before turning her newly found skill into a mini business to raise money for the charity.

"Now nearly two years later I am still making them [and] they have proved very popular," Debbie said.

She added: "I made more and more [hearts] which the staff had, and I gave some to the patients going home, and being off work to recover I carried on making them, then I thought how could I help the hospital?"

Debbie takes around 50 hearts to the hospital monthly to be sold at £2 each, meaning she has created more than 1,500 of the hanging decorations.

Additionally, the soon-to-be hospital nursing assistant can make personalised hearts on request, by either using contributed materials like clothing, or adding buttons to the gift to spell out a name.

Debbie added: "From Star Wars ones, baby ones, animal ones, I try to vary the designs to appeal to everyone's taste.

"It gives me great pleasure knowing I am helping the worthwhile charity."