A grieving family have donated a defibrillator to a Dorchester hotel in the hope of saving more lives.

Caron Stevens lost her husband Kevin at the end of September at the age of 56.

Despite their sad loss the family, who are from Portland, were determined to do something positive and make a difference in his memory.

Mr Stevens worked part time at the Wessex Royale Hotel in Dorchester as a night porter. He had been employer there for five years. Before that Mr Stevens was in the Merchant Navy.

Mrs Stevens said: "He went to work one morning and never came back. There were no symptoms, he wasn't ill, there was no warning.

"He was doing he usual rounds, delivering papers. He was on the third floor and he had a cardiac arrest. Staff tried to help him and resuscitate him but there was nothing they could have done.

"I don't know if a defibrillator would have helped my husband, but I know had one have been there it would have been used."

Mrs Stevens, who works in the healthcare profession, added: "We decided to set up a crowdfunding page and within three weeks we had raised more than 2,000. We bought a defibrillator for the hotel but it didn't cost as much as we thought, it cost us £1,200 so we have £850 left over. So we are going to continue fundraising and buy another defibrillator for Portland.

"The more defibrillators we have the more chance we are giving people. A defibrillator gives a person a 60 per cent chance of living."

Mr and Mrs Stevens have two children and a two-year-old granddaughter Ava, who is soon to be a big sister.

Mrs Stevens said: "What breaks my hears is Ava, my husband used to babysit her every Monday. But she is the one who is keeping us all going, she is so special.

"Kevin was such a family man and we were both looking forward to retiring together and we all desperately miss him."

Mrs Stevens said she wanted to thank everyone who had supported the family and given donations. She especially wanted to thank her running club - the Royal Manor of Portland Running Club - and staff who work in the cancer service with her daughter, who both made large donations.

General manager of the hotel, Steve Chaldecott, said Mr Stevens was a "lovely man". A bench has been dedicated to his memory at the hotel.