A GENEROUS benefactor with a well-documented dislike of "Fat Cats" has given Bury Hospice its biggest boost in years by leaving it £75,000 in her will.

Miss Evelyn Mary Eastham (pictured), who died just before her 100th birthday, left the legacy after being impressed with the care which the hospice in Dumers Lane, Radcliffe, provided for one of her friends.

Mr Mervyn Reeves, the hospice's fund-raising manager, said: "Miss Eastham was something of a recluse who was always saving and who hated waste.

"In April, 1997, she saw an article in The Times which spoke about high salaries, something she was particularly against, especially in charities, and she didn't want her money to go that way. She called the people involved "fat cats". Her chosen charities had to be both local and caring for local people."

Miss Eastham, of Prestwich, decided to leave so much to the hospice after seeing how it cared for her close friend Alice Cook, who spent her final days there before dying of cancer.

The care which Alice received had a profound effect on Miss Eastham, one which she never forgot. Mr Reeves said: "We are grateful to Evelyn Eastham for her wonderful generosity and for thinking of the hospice in this way." He added: " As the provision of expert palliative nursing care becomes more expensive, and Bury Hospice expands its services and facilities, we will rely more and more on people in the area remembering us in their wills.

"It is often the time when ordinary folk can make the greatest difference to a local charity like the hospice."

Miss Eastham was one of the last remaining members of the Hall family, the local sweet manufacturers.

Because she died without any traceable relatives, her considerable estate would have gone to the Duchy of Lancaster if she had not made a will with charities in mind.

The hospice has now launched a campaign to encourage others to follow her example, and to help financially as it expands. Anyone wishing to benefit the hospice in their wills or to make a donation can contact the fundraising office on 797 1748.