A FORMER patient has put a smile on hospital workers’ faces by donating thousands of ice creams during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ibrahim Najafi, CEO of Froneri Ice Cream, donated a freezer and filled it with delicious treats for the staff who cared for him on the cardiothoracic ward at The James Cook University Hospital.

Mr Najafi was rushed to the Middlesbrough hospital, where he spent three days, after having a cycling accident on May 8.

“I was blown away by how wonderful the team on ward 32 were and how they looked after me during these challenging times,” he said.

“I wanted to say thank you by putting a smile on their faces so I donated the freezer and filled it with some of our ice cream.”

Mr Najafi and his team plan to re-fill the freezer again in the future.

Maria Stokes, ward 32 manager, said: “The ice creams have been amazing.

"The staff are so appreciative and it has really given them a boost."

Froneri is a global company with its headquarters in Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire.

The firm has also donated ice cream to other hospitals and ambulance services around the country during COVID-19, including the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton and NHS Nightingale Hospital North West in Manchester.