A VIGIL is going to be held after Christmas for members of the community to pay their respects to the owner of a popular Indian takeaway who has passed away.

Hasnath Miah, who runs Indian Dream in Didcot, was rushed to hospital on December 5 after suffering a stroke. His family confirmed that he sadly passed away on December 15.

The takeaway owner is well known for his generosity across the town. He started giving out free meals at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, totalling over 10,000 to date, including free dinners on Christmas for the last two years.

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He also donated £500 to food banks in Didcot and Abingdon after the community reimbursed him for a phone that was stolen from the restaurant.

Mr Miah had also been planning to make free Christmas dinners for people in need this month.

After floods of tributes were posted online for Mr Miah, it was decided a vigil will be held on Tuesday, December 27 outside Indian Dream in Park Road at 3pm.

This was decided after it was confirmed that Mr Miah’s funeral would take place on Sunday (December 18) in London with close family members only.

As well as a vigil, residents would like to see a memorial be put up in memory of Mr Miah such as a statue or bench.

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Didcot resident Denise Macdonald has set up a Go Fund Me page for the community to help pay for a memorial to be set up in his honour which has now reached £2,427.

To donate, visit: gofundme.com/f/funeral-and-memorial-for-hasnath-miah

One resident commented: “I was going to suggest to the town council, that one of their awards should be renamed the Hasnath Miah Award for Care in the Community or something along those lines.

“That way his memory can live on in the way everyone came to know and respect him so great.”

Another resident suggested: “Didcot needs a statue. This is the man to be up there. All the good he did for the community. Never to be forgotten.”

A third added: “I definitely also think with new houses being built should have a road named after such a lovely man.”

Abu Bokkor Miah, Mr Miah’s brother, has thanked the community for the outpourings of love and support.

Upon hearing about the fundraiser, he said: “We know that Hasnath would want the money to be donated to the homeless in the Didcot community.

“This is because he was committed to feeding the homeless.”

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He added that people are welcome to contact the family directly to share their thoughts of condolences at remembranceofhasnathmiah@outlook.com

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This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford and Wantage.

Get in touch with her by emailing: gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @geeharland