A PHILANTHROPIC Hereford man has left over £130,000 to charities in his will.

Geoffrey Newman, well known in the city thanks to his involvement in the arts community, left a legacy of over £65,000 each to Cancer Research UK and Acorns Children’s Hospice.

He died last April aged 79 after battling prostate cancer.

Geoff’s family presented a cheque for over £65,000 to Cancer Research UK at a special event at The Forge.

Sylvia Corrick, Geoffrey's sister, said: "Geoff was passionate about so many things in life. He loved opera and films, and knew everything there was to know about actors, directors and producers.

“He thought charity was incredibly important. Every week he bought a lottery ticket, and if he won anything it went straight to charity. He never bought new clothes, preferring instead to buy them from charity shops. He said the charities needed the money most.

“Geoff always said he was going to leave everything he had to charity. He knew his family didn’t need it, but the charities did. And he was particularly keen to benefit cancer charities. He never complained about his illness, but he did say to me once: ‘This dying takes a bloody long time.’"

She added: “We were a family of eight children, and two of our brothers also died after having stomach cancer and lung cancer. It was a cause close to Geoff’s heart. We shall all miss him very much.”

The former porter at Burghill Mental Health Hospital was a member of art, dance and writing clubs in Hereford and enjoyed creating wood sculptures, even crafting his own model of Hereford Castle out of wood.

He married Marie, a former nun who also worked at the hospital. Following Marie's death at an early age, Geoffrey found love with his second partner Marion.

Julie George, Cancer Research UK’s Community Legacy Manager for Herefordshire, said: “We are so grateful to Geoff for his wonderful gift to research, and to his family for supporting him in his decision. If it wasn’t for kind, generous people like Geoff, we wouldn’t be able to fund our ground-breaking cancer science."

Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its work so relies on donations from the public.

For more information on leaving a gift to Cancer Research UK in your will, visit: www.cruk.org/legacies