Wolverhampton's Mary continues to help beloved city - even after her death

Mary Boddy, of Merry Hill, Wolverhampton died in September aged 94.

This week her son Robert Boddy presented a cheque for £1,100 to Compton Hospice and the haematology department at New Cross Hospital in honour of his late mother.

Mrs Boddy had myeloma, a cancer that affects cells in the bone marrow, and was part of treatment trials at the haematology department with Dr Supratik Basu, and spent time in the hospice earlier this year.

Mr Boddy, 67, said: "Before she died she spent five years with haematology unit at New Cross and they did a brilliant job. We thought it was a death sentence five years ago, but with new trials she had a very good quality of life for five years.

"The drugs and trials mum was on extended her life quite notably from what would have been expected. Her attitude to keeping going and getting something done, getting treatment and willing to accept the trials - that made it so successful."

One of the first trials Mrs Boddy was part of two to three years ago has just been published in an American medical journal.

"The success of these trials is mainly down to people like mum, who have extended the life of elderly people who have got myeloma and those sort of problems."

When Mrs Boddy died the family had asked people to make a donation instead of buying flowers, and nominated both the hospice and the haematology unit as the recipients.

Mr Boddy said: "We made a family donation and put it together with the £800-£900 in donations from friends and acquaintances. Mum was very well-known and very well-liked - people were very generous."

Mrs Boddy worked at Beatties for almost 35 years as a catering manager before retiring in 1980. Her continued efforts to keep the ex-colleagues together, organising day trips, meals and the annual Christmas party saw her rewarded with an Express & Star Local Hero award in 2010.

Mr Boddy, of Penn, said his mother had loved Wolverhampton, and had helped a lot of people during her life.

Asked how she would have reacted to people's generosity, Mr Boddy said: "She would be happy. She would be absolutely stunned by it. She liked helping people but she didn't do it for any sort of reward, so to speak.

"She would be very, very pleased, and embarrassed I would expect for people to donate that sort of donation...it was nice to know that people thought enough of her to donate that sort of money, and respected what she had done in her life."

The family want those who donated money to know how much it was appreciated.