A DEDICATED charity supporter helped to raise more than £1,100 for Bolton Hospice ahead of the Westhoughton town’s mayor’s ball today — despite suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Modest Joe Hart, aged 68, was awarded a civic medal and a certificate of achievement in December for his voluntary work in Westhoughton over the past 20 years.

He is now seriously ill but has not let his condition stop him from pursuing his main passion — fundraising for local people.

On February 2, he hosted a fundraising event at the Victoria Pub in Westhoughton, raising £1,190 for the hospice, which is Cllr Christopher Peacock’s chosen charity.

Cllr Peacock received the cheque at the pub on Thursday, two days ahead of the ball at the Brookfield Masonic Hall in Peel Street.

Mr Hart said: “It’s something I’ve always done, but it’s a team of us really.

“I was gobsmacked when I heard about the medal. It came right out of the blue.

“It’s nice to know your efforts are appreciated but you don’t do these things for reasons like that, you do them to help people.”

Cllr Peacock added: “A huge thank you to Joe, who for a long time has been a wonderful servant to Westhoughton.”

Mr Hart said: “The people in Westhoughton are fantastic and very generous. I was actually okay to compere the Victoria Pub event and it was choc-a-bloc.”

A raffle, tombola, donations, a football shirt auction and a girl who had her head shaved all contributed to the money generated on the day.

Far from letting his health get him down, Mr Hart is looking forward to his next fundraisong event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support on Easter Sunday. The planned event at Westhoughton Sports and Social Club has already raised £200.