THE family of a Blackburn man who spent his final days fundraising for a cure for motor neurone disease has vowed to carry on the fight in his memory.

Alan Hedges, 67, set himself the target of raising as much money as possible for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Alan was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in March 2013, and was told that he had probably been suffering from it for about 18 months.

He died from the disease in Royal Blackburn Hospital on October 11.

Paying tribute to Alan, his dedicated widow Wendy, 68, who lives in Leyburn Road, said: “He was a talkative man, reliable, an imaginative and cheerful man.

“He was strong-willed, charitable, friendly, and colourful, and people who met him for the first time were captivated by his friendly manner and easy charm.

“He enjoyed life, had a warm personality, and what you saw was what you got.

“He was family-orientated and doted on his grandchildren. “He enriched and coloured many lives.

”He was suffering towards the end, but he still had his great sense of humour, and his memory was fantastic.”

Since Alan’s death, Wendy, her and Alan’s sons Darren 43, and Mark, 41, and four grandchildren have vowed to pick up the baton, and will continue to fundraise for the charity.

So far their total stands at around £8,000, and they have several events in the pipeline, which will keep the cash coming in.

One of the grandchildren is planning to do a triathlon next year, and another is making loom bands to sell for the charity.

Wendy said: “He wanted me to carry on with the fundraising.

“His carers are also going to do one or two things to raise money.”

Alan was a talented artist, and Wendy will be selling some Christmas cards featuring his drawings to raise money for his ‘fightback fund’.

To donate to Alan’s fighbank fund, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/AlanHedgesfightback