Lancaster sisters hospice fundraiser for dad

Andrea Gardner and sister Susan Walmsley fundraised £1,166 to the hospice in Lancaster in memory of their late father Colin Baxter.

Mr Baxter passed away on July 14 last year at the age of 85.

“Dad loved keeping busy but it was his love of his family (Judith, Anthony, Susan, Andrea and Lisa) which was his greatest achievement and he constantly reminded us of that, being so proud of all we achieved,” said Andrea, of Bay Horse, Lancaster.

“Dad looked after mum and mum looked after dad, sharing 63 years of a good solid marriage together with Margaret. Laughter, a love of life and family were all very important to dad.”

Andrea was inspired to raise money after the hospice put out an appeal for syringe drivers.

She wanted others to receive end of life care to support dignity in dying.

The hospice on Slyne Road put in a bid to Lancashire County Council asking for grants totalling just over £3,000, towards the cost of providing three syringe drivers.

The drivers will help the Hospice at Home nurses and the hospice’s in-patient ward.

Following her fathers’ death the sisters decided to host a party and instead of accepting presents, took donations towards ‘end of life care’ to help buy one of the syringe drivers.

The event was hosted at her sisters’ farm at Waddington and welcomed more than 140 guests with generous donations.

Mr Baxter was a keen farmer and devoted family man.

He was born September 3 1931 and worked on local farms from the age of 14 and at Lancaster Farmers Auction Mart as head dairy man for 19 years.

He bought his first farm, Knott Hill Farm at Lowgill, Nr Bentham in 1960 moving to Tarn Farm, Cockerham in 1968. He was a respectable dairy farmer and stockman until he retired with his wife Margaret in 1996 and moved back to Overton where lots of family and friends resided and his busyness turned into gardening keeping an immaculate garden to the very end.

He was a regular competitor with Overton Horticultural Society showing a wide selection of home grown produce.