The funeral takes place on December 20 of Alastair Welch, former chairman, secretary and treasurer of Didcot Hospital League of Friends.

Mr Welch, pictured, left, getting ready to bowl at a Didcot Hospital fete in 1998

He died on December 12 at the age of 55 after a long battle with cancer, which was diagnosed in May last year.

Mr Welch grew up in Didcot where he went to Greenmere Primary School then St Birinus Boys' School.

He became an apprentice with the Reading-based water irrigation and pumps company, SPP, where he worked for 38 years, latterly as manager of the design office.

He and his wife, Maureen, were married in 1972, and lived at Swindon for two years before returning to Didcot.

Mr Welch is also survived by their two sons, David and Simon.

As well as Mr Welch's untiring support for Didcot Hospital, for which he helped raise thousands of pounds annually, he was active in local politics.

He was formerly a Conservative member of the town council for four years, during which time he chaired the planning committee.

Mr Welch's involvement with the Conservative Association began with the now defunct Young Conservatives, of which he was Didcot chairman.

He was also a member of Didcot Conservative Club where he first met his wife-to-be.

It was after Mr Welch left the town council that he was co-opted onto the Hospital League of Friends, in 1988.

By the end of his first meeting he had been appointed chairman.

The League of Friends has regularly contributed up to £10,000-a-year towards a host of different projects, including the replacement of more than 20 beds with the latest electrically-operated hydraulic beds to improve nursing care. The funeral will be at St Peter's Church, Didcot, at 1.30pm followed by private cremation.

The family has requested no flowers, but donations to Sobell House hospice, Oxford.