The food fanatic took time off from filming his latest series in Rotherham to cut the ribbon to the kitchen, where families and children will have the chance to cook up their own healthy meals.

Staff, residents and their families welcomed Jamie as he took the time to meet those cared for at Bluebell Wood and to bring them that bit closer to officially opening their doors for 24/7 care later in the year.

"Everyone loved it," said Greg Oldfield, head of fundraising for the hospice.

"The kitchen is going to be at the heart of the hospice and there'll be a lot of activity there. There were a number of children and families here to see him and he made time for everybody, including staff."

"Jamie was inundated with people wanting his autograph and he asked a lot of questions about what we do here and seemed genuinely interested," he said.

Although Jamie had planned to stay at the hospice for around half-an-hour, he ended up being there for almost an hour more.

"He took the time to have a few words with everyone here," said Greg.

"Jamie has a great presence and made us all smile. He put all our visitors at ease and cracked a few jokes. It was a real pleasure to have him here."

Daycare at Bluebell Wood is opening officially on Monday 14th July for just two months before the grand opening in September.

Thanks to tireless fundraising from numerous residents and businesses across the region, the £4 million building will be opening soon to provide facilities to give patients around the clock care.

More than 200 families across the region currently receive support from Bluebell Wood each year and over 60 families are already benefiting from the home care service.