A Romsey widow has said she’s been ‘blown away’ by an outpouring of support from the town’s businesses after announcing a fundraising event in memory of her late husband.

Trudi Whittaker’s husband, John, died at the start of April after losing almost a yearlong battle with bile duct cancer.

John, 52, or ‘Booby’ as he was known to friends, spent his last month at Mountbatten Hospice in Botley Road, Southampton after learning there was nothing else doctors could do to treat the illness.

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The family have since announced they will be holding a fundraiser to ‘give something back’ to the charity and have been met with a flood of gifts to raffle at the event.

Trudi said: “The generosity shown by businesses around Romsey and even further out has been phenomenal. So many shops have donated prizes; we’ve had all sorts coming in. Waitrose gave us a large bottle of champagne and chocolates, we’ve had boxing and banger racing tickets, tattoo vouchers and even £350 worth of Botox from the lady who runs the Age Repair Aesthetic Clinic. We couldn’t be more grateful – the response has been amazing.”

John, a popular figure among the Romsey community and gardener by trade, was only meant to be at the hospice for a week but ended up staying for a month after his health rapidly declined.

On the night he died, Trudi said the family raised £400 by passing a hat around the room for donations. They’ve since returned to the hospice to plant a Mountbatten Rose bush in his memory.

However, Trudi said they felt it ‘wasn’t enough’, and John’s niece, Laura-Ann Edwards, had the idea of hosting a fundraiser.

She said: “The hospice was amazing. John’s family are from a Romani travelling community, but they’re all settled.

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"There’s a lot of them and they tend to come together when someone is poorly. The hospice recognised this, cleared an entire ward and put recliner chairs in so the whole family – sometimes 20 or 30 people – could stay and be with each other.

"They provided tea and coffee for everyone who came. For the last three days of John’s life, they were absolutely fantastic.”

The fundraiser will be held at North Baddesley Social Club on Sunday, May 29 from midday to 4pm. Alongside a raffle and tombola there will also be a host of family-friendly entertainment on offer including a bouncy castle, face painting and a BBQ.

Mountbatten Hospice has provided the family with t shirts and decorations to wear on the day.

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