Legacy of 'Secret Santa' continues

FUNDRAISERS . . . Sisters Karen Kirkpatrick (left) and Debbie Morris

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THE legacy of Shaw's Secret Santa lives on.

Roy Taylor was well-known to Chronicle readers as the kind-hearted man who "secretly" gave away £10 notes to random strangers in the run-up to Christmas.

Tragically Roy was diagnosed with cancer and passed away aged 66 in January, 2015.

But his charitable deeds and fundraising for worthy causes continues thanks to his daughter Debbie Morris who handed over the proceeds of a story about her dad, which appeared in Take a Break magazine, to Dr Kershaw's Hospice. The family were featured in the magazine following what was described as Roy's "final gift from beyond the grave" in December 2015.

Debbie's relatives in Australia entered a Qantas Airlines competition for people desperate to be reunited with far-flung family members.

They won the "Feels Like Home" contest after saying they wanted to give their cousins a big hug following Roy's death and Debbie and her sister Karen were flown out to Sydney.

After their story appeared in the Chronicle it was picked up by Take a Break and the £750 they paid Debbie has now been donated to the hospice were Roy spent his final weeks.

"They looked after my dad really well and my mum Denise is a volunteer there so it seemed a fitting thing to do," said Debbie.

Roy was not only known for his festive handouts, he was also an ardent fundraiser for many causes, including Dr Kerhaw's.