A STOURBRIDGE man has handed over £850 to Russells Hall Hospital in memory of his late wife.

John Ganner handed over the funds that were donated after the death of his beloved wife Kathleen, aged 76, who died at the Dudley hospital last October after a short illness.

Retired builder Mr Ganner said he wanted the money to go to the critical care unit at the hospital which cared for his wife of 50 years, who worked as office manager at the Apollo Staff Agency in Stourbridge before retiring.

The 74-year-old, of Oak Park Road, said: “We requested no flowers at the funeral, just donations - and various people sent cheques and cash to me."

He added: "The money’s going to be spent on equipment, so there’s a little bit of good that’s come out of this sadness."

Mr Ganner, a volunteer at Stourbridge Navigation Trust, also hopes to raise further funds for the critical care unit in future by selling hand-painted canal ware items.