THE Earl of Derby has visited Hollins Park Hospital, which was formerly named after his great-granddad.

Edward Stanley, the 19th Earl of Derby, visited North West Boroughs NHS Foundation Trust’s base in Winwick on Friday, November 30.

Hollins Park’s predecessor Winwick Hospital was previously known as the Lord Derby War Hospital – having been named after the 17th Earl of Derby during the First World War.

More than 56,000 injured and shell-shocked war casualties were treated at the site between 1915 and 1920.

Lord Derby viewed displays of poetry and artwork created by young service users on the trust’s nearby Fairhaven Unit to mark Remembrance Day, and visited memorial plaques listing staff who lost their lives during the two world wars.

He said: "It’s been fascinating to visit the trust today.

"It’s extraordinary to think of how many soldiers spent their time at the Lord Derby War Hospital, and it’s great to see how homage is paid to them at the trust 100 years on."

North West Boroughs chief operating officer John Heritage added: "I was delighted when Lord Derby accepted my invitation to visit Hollins Park as part of our celebrations to mark the end of the First World War.

"It was a real pleasure to welcome Lord Derby, along with our chairman Helen Bellairs, to the trust and to show him around the site that was named for his great-grandfather when it was the Lord Derby War Hospital."