A FAMILY has paid tribute to a ‘great dad’ who died of cancer aged 45 ­— with his son raising more than £1,000 so far in his memory.

Mark Booth died of a rare and aggressive form of adrenal cancer on July 6, having been diagnosed last Christmas.

He received regular care at Bolton Hospice, which his wife of 15 years, Emma, said the family was very grateful for.

Their three children, Jake, 12, Zack, 13, and Georgia 21 have started fundraising for the hospice in his memory.

Jake, a St James High student, was keen to fundraise for the hospice, says to his mum, coming up with the idea of doing a cake sale and a raffle.

Last Saturday he set up a hospice stall with the help of his family at the Farnworth Tesco. A fundraising and tributes page has been set up on the hospice’s website, with donations now topping £1,000.

Emma, 38, said: “The kids are doing alright now. They’ve been going to see support workers at the hospice and will be getting support at school when that restarts.

“Visits to the hospice were limited with Covid rules but all the help they gave to Mark was fantastic. The kids really appreciated this and Jake first said he wanted to donate his birthday money to the hospice. We came up with the idea to do something to raise money instead and it escalated.

“We had family that used to work there so managed to get the cake sale in the store, with lots of cakes donated by them and other family members.

“The hospice also helped massively with providing bunting and signs. It was such an amazing day and we’re all so proud of him.

“Jake fronted the stall himself with his brother also helping. People would come and ask what the fundraiser was for and he would tell them it was about his dad who had died recently, which was really nice to see.

“The support from people at Tesco was great. Others have now also been inspired by Jake. A neighbour is doing a half marathon for Mark and another friend is doing an abseil of a building for charity.”

She added: “Mark was just a great normal guy and a fantastic father and husband. He would drive us all mad sometimes but he was also just the best dad there was.

“The support we have all received from family and friends has been amazing and is helping the kids so much.”

To donate to the fundraiser, visit markbooth.muchloved.com