Ken’s £200,000 will-gift stunner

RETIRED businessman Kenneth Robishaw has left a staggering £200,000 in his will to two local cancer charities.

Dr Kershaw’s Hospice and The Christie Charity each received just short of £100,000 after Mr Robishaw, of Diggle, died at the age of 87.

He moved to Ambrose Crescent in the late 1970s with Joan, his wife of more than 40 years, and was devastated when she died from cancer eight years ago.

The couple had no children, and a few months before Mr Robishaw died he moved into a care home.

The popular pensioner also left a sum of money to his friends and neighbours in Ambrose Crescent for a night out in his memory.

Friend and neighbour, John Askew, said: “Ken was a private man with a kind and generous heart.

“The support and friendship of the local people and in particular the residents of Ambrose Crescent was something Ken really valued and never forgot.

“When Ken and Joan moved to Ambrose Crescent they immediately felt at home.

“Married and devoted for over 40 years, he was devastated when Joan died of cancer in 1992, losing both his friend and soul mate.

“Over the last few years Ken’s health began to fail, but he drew strength from friends around him.

“He would play cribbage with myself and my wife Suzanne almost every week and although not a big drinker, he loved nothing more than to meet up with the Friday night crew at The Hanging Gate in Diggle.”

Born and brought up in Mills Hills, Chadderton, Mr Robishaw left school at 14 to become an apprentice electrical engineer.

After the Second World War, he was made chief engineer at Ramsay Mill, Chadderton, until the mid 1960s when he and a friend set up their own successful engineering business.

The surprise gifts have stunned the two charities who will benefit from his generosity, and they were quick to express their gratitude.

Legacy officer at The Christie charity, John Bremend, said: “We are so grateful to Mr Robishaw for this wonderful gesture. His gift to our charity will go towards helping to fund vital cancer research and extra services for cancer patients. Ken has left a real legacy for future generations to come.”

Echoing his sentiments, Dr Kershaw’s appeals manager Brian Hurst said: “It’s an absolutely wonderful gesture by Mr Robishaw and means so much to the people we care for, and their families.”