A FAMILY will be selling a ‘lifetime of treasures’ to raise money for charity after losing their dad to cancer.

Chris Taylor, 65, died on May 12 just three weeks after he was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer.

His widow, Fran Taylor, of Martinstown, has decided to sell his ‘lifetime of treasures’ to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

She said: “Chris was diagnosed with hepatoma, a really rare kind of liver cancer, three weeks before he died.

“We knew he was terminal but we didn’t know it would only be three weeks.

“The disease was really voracious, it was taking over and we needed nurses night and day to look after him.

“All the care and support from the NHS and the Marie Curie nurses was absolutely fantastic, really amazing.”

Mrs Taylor, 67, added: “It was such an awful shock and it was awful watching Chris going more and more yellow and knowing there was something very wrong.

“He wanted to die at home and with the help of the team he was able to do that, which was such an important thing.

“There was such a fantastic level of care, which is why we decided to raise money for Marie Curie.”

Mr and Mrs Taylor were married for 43 years and have two sons, Tom and Matthew, and three grandchildren. The family has raised more than £1,700 so far through donations from friends and loved-ones.

Mrs Taylor said: “We held a celebration of Chris’ life rather than a funeral and asked for contributions instead of flowers.

“It was a really beautiful day, it was lovely that so many people came – there were over 200 in the church with more standing outside.”

She added: “Chris was a bit of a hoarder and his lock-up was jam-packed with stuff – there are all sorts in there.

“I decided that I really don’t need all these things, so we’re hoping to raise more funds with the sale.

“The Women’s Institute will be doing tea and coffee and one of my friends will be making cakes to sell and doing a raffle.

“It’s going to be a community event – everyone’s rallied around and been absolutely fabulous over the past few weeks. The community here is so fantastic, really warm and loving and it’s great that so many people are getting involved.”

The sale on Martinstown village green will take place on Saturday, June 30 at 10.30am and will include household items, tools, books and collectables with all proceeds going to Marie Curie Cancer Care.