THOUSANDS of people descended on a 20-acre sunflower trail which was planted to raise money for a hospital that saved a boy's life when he was born prematurely, raising almost £25,000.

Richard and Hazel Hoskin have celebrated the success of the sunflower trail they created on their land at Maiden Castle Farm in Dorchester, which raised a huge £23,483.78 to be split between Dorset County Hospital (DCH) and the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).

The couple donated the money to thank the services for the help they gave their son Thomas, now 18, who was born three months prematurely.

Hazel said: "It was a fantastic summer and we loved seeing the thousands of people who visited the farm to see the sunflowers. The families who have come along are getting back to nature.

Dorset Echo: The Hoskin family at their sunflower trail at Maiden Castle, Dorchester. Picture: Andy Whale at Seven Springs StudiosThe Hoskin family at their sunflower trail at Maiden Castle, Dorchester. Picture: Andy Whale at Seven Springs Studios

"It's so good that people are out in the fresh air and appreciating natural beauty - some even bought a picnic. Judging by all the pictures we saw on social media, we like to think we helped families make some special memories.

"Viewed from the air, the design created by the trails in the sunflower field reads 'Love Life', something all of our family have good reason to agree with this year.

"The SCBU is a cause particularly close to our hearts because our son Thomas was born three months early and the care and support we received is something that we've never forgotten. Thomas turned 18-years-old in September and, as this is an important milestone, we felt it was the perfect time to be able to give something back.

"I'm over the moon with the amount of money we've raised but it wasn't just us who did this, it was everyone who came to see the sunflowers. So thank you to everyone who visited us. With your contribution, we can help make a real difference to the SCBU at DCH."

Dorset Echo: Richard and Hazel Hoskin launched a sunflower trail at Maiden Castle, Dorchester. Picture: Andy Whale at Seven Springs StudiosRichard and Hazel Hoskin launched a sunflower trail at Maiden Castle, Dorchester. Picture: Andy Whale at Seven Springs Studios

SCBU manager Dominic Sheehy said: "What a fantastic gift from Thomas and his family. We intend to purchase a cerebral function monitor which looks at brainwave activity in newborns. This will allow us to treat conditions that would otherwise be invisible to us and we can then alter our treatment and improve outcomes."

Hazel added: "We look forward to creating a completely different sunflower trail next year and hope that we will get just as much support from our local community and all our visitors as we did this year."