Tributes Paid To Dorothy House Hospice Fundraiser

Tributes have been paid to a tireless supporter of the Dorothy House hospice charity who helped raise £500,000 over more than 20 years.

Chartered surveyor Paddy Stewart-Morgan, who died on Monday after suffering from cancer himself, was chairman of the trustees at the Winsley charity for two years.

The keen cricketer, who before retirement had been a senior partner at Cluttons in Bath, became a hospice trustee in 1998 and was appointed chairman in 2004.

His chairmanship saw Dorothy House through the planning and implementation of an award-winning new building project, and his background as a chartered surveyor proved invaluable.

But it is as a fundraiser extraordinaire that the 65-year-old will perhaps be most remembered.

Over the years, his events, including auctions and the popular outdoor Christmas carol gatherings, raised £500,000 for Dorothy House.

Sheila Reiter, who succeeded him as chairman, said: “Paddy never failed to find time for Dorothy House, and gave more than nine years’ sterling work as a trustee.

“His sense of humour, good nature and enthusiasm made him a valuable colleague. He was also a good friend and a quiet but effective communicator.”

Sarah Whitfield, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Paddy’s contribution to the success of Dorothy House’s work in the community was exceptional. He was totally committed and loyal to the hospice, always acting in the best interests of the charity.

“He also took a personal interest in the staff and volunteers and was always very supportive of the day-to-day work of the hospice. He will be greatly missed by everyone at Dorothy House, and his family are in our thoughts and prayers.”

His association with Dorothy House dated back to 1985 when he and a group of friends organised the first of the series of hugely successful charity auctions.

Mr Stewart-Morgan had been suffering from cancer himself for more than a year, and died from kidney failure at Southmead Hospital.

He began fundraising after running an auction for another charity.

He said in an interview: “A group of us realised this was a good format for raising quite a lot of money relatively easily. The question was, who did we want to raise it for? At the time, three or four of us had had some sort of brush with cancer, and Dorothy House very much came to the top of the pile.”

One of his last duties as chairman was to host the visit of The Princess Royal when she officially opened the hospice’s new extension last November.

A friend, Peter Downey, of Wellow, who knew Mr Stewart-Morgan for 40 years, said: “He was such a wonderful man. He was very well-respected around Bath.”

Mr Stewart-Morgan leaves a wife, Christine, and two daughters.