A GREAT-grandfather with a heart of gold has been named "King of the Collectors" by cancer care organisers.

Mr Bill Greenwood, 67, has received a big "thank you" from the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity for his three-year-long commitment as a street collector.

Over the last eight months, the former Bury Rotarian has raised £2,000 for Bury's Marie Curie nurses alone.

The father of six, who has nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, also spends time collecting on behalf of three other charities - Bury Hospice, the Samaritans, and the Red Cross.

Marie Curie Cancer Care nurses care for terminally ill patients in the comfort of their own homes night and day.

Mrs Lesley Jackson, the area fund-raiser, said: "Bill is definitely the 'King of the Collectors' in the Bury area.

"We are extremely delighted with his efforts - with the money collected at various supermarkets and shopping centres in and around Bury on our behalf. He is a dedicated collector and is exceptionally good at it, always having a cheery smile and friendly word for everyone who puts money into the collecting tin."

Mr Greenwood, of Massey Street, Bury, a retired landscape gardener, said: "I enjoy doing it. Every year I try to better the amount raised. If you sit around you get morbid; I make a lot of friends. I have a day off on Tuesday and Sunday to go walking to keep me fit."

Bill is pictured handing over the £2,000 he has collected to Beverley Forry, one of the community nurses whose work he supports.

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