Tributes paid to charity founder

A former bank manager who dedicated his spare time to helping people less fortunate has died.

Miles Snow, aged 74, an avid train enthusiast who was a shareholder at the Severn Valley Railway, died at Birmingham City Hospital after a battle with a rare form of cancer.

He co-founded Sandwell Crossroads carers' charity in 1986 and he was also an active member of Black Country Partnership Foundation Trust for 15 years.

Sandwell Crossroads was formed to provide support services for carers and Mr Snow was appointed treasurer because of his skills working with figures.

The charity is still going today, providing about 120,000 hours of community care every year.

Office manager Donna Williamson said: "He was very enthusiastic about the charity and he was very passionate about the cause."

Mr Snow, who lived in Harborne, also worked as a hospital manager overseeing appeal hearings for people detained under the Mental Health Act.

Karen Dowman, trust chief executive, said: "He was an absolute stalwart at hearing appeals and supporting people with mental health problems.

"He was a very loyal servant for 15 years. He is a very sad loss to us."

Mr Miles managed what is now the Nat West branch in Church Street, Oldbury, for eight years. His wife Samuelle said: "He loved the Black Country, the qualities of the people, and his charity work was his way of giving back to the community."

Mr Snow was a member of the GWR 4150 Club, which raises money to restore a Great Western Railway locomotive to be used on the Kidderminster to Bridgnorth line.

He realised an ambition when he travelled by train from Sandwell and Dudley station to Hong Kong by train over three weeks in May 1995. More than 150 people attended his funeral at Lodge Hill Cemetery in Birmingham on January 9.