A hospice patient and his wife have renewed their wedding vows in a special garden ceremony at Mountbatten Hampshire.

Grant and Holly Armani, of Thornhill, were joined by close family at the West End hospice before they enjoyed a socially distanced picnic in Royal Victoria Country Park.

Grant, 39, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February, which had spread to his liver, and a recent course of chemotherapy was not successful.

He has been supported at home by Mountbatten Hampshire since March.

“Almost as soon as Grant was diagnosed, we decided we wanted to renew our wedding vows,” said Holly.

“Thankfully, Grant is living well and long may that continue but we want to make the most of every moment we have together.

“The ceremony was absolutely magical. We had our mums there, my dad, and Grant’s nephew, who he is very close to.

“We would have loved our wider family to come along but sadly we couldn’t because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“But we could not have asked for a better afternoon, though I never thought I would be sitting in Royal Victoria Country Park in a wedding dress.”

Recent months have been incredibly tough on the couple, who got married in 2016.

Grant’s chemotherapy treatment coincided with the pandemic, meaning Holly was unable to visit him during numerous stays in hospital.

She was also away from Grant when he discovered his condition was terminal.

“I found out on the phone – it was horrible.

“We have had some really low moments but we want to look ahead and be as positive as we can be.

“Renewing our wedding vows was really special.”

The service was officiated by Mountbatten chaplain Rev Iain McFarlane, while other hospice staff who helped to organise the event, attended, including Grant’s doctor, Andrew Jenks.