The family of a Shropshire man, known for his love of mechanics, have donated hundreds of pounds in his memory to the charity which looked after him.

David Mitchell passed away in May at his home in Craven Arms with his family at his bedside.

He had been receiving care from the Hospice at Home team and following his death his family gave £670 to us.

Amazing

“The care he received from the Hospice at Home team and the support we had as a family was amazing,” said his daughter Claire. “As a family we had to discuss difficult topics and make decisions in the early days which was not easy for Dad or any of us, but the nurses helped us through it all.

“Our experience with the hospice meant that we could all be there as a family and spend Dad’s last days together. We had a lot of care from the lovely team, both throughout the day and all through the night and we felt that we were never alone at this terribly difficult time

Community

“Dad was a really huge character and was very well respected in the area. He always made us laugh and he kept his sense of humour and his cheekiness until the very end. Lots of people knew him from the places that he and Mum had lived, and he always loved being a part of the community.”

Mr Mitchell was born in Birmingham but moved to Shropshire at a young age. As a young man, he and his wife Sandra took over the running of Brooklands Garage in East Wall.

He had an interest in vehicles – he was a keen motorcyclist and he also worked for coach company Boultons of Shropshire.

After he died, Sally and Claire dug out their Severn Hospice Christmas cards from years before featuring the bus their dad had restored. The painting on the front was called Bus on the Burway and was by Shropshire artist Graham Andrews, another keen motor enthusiast.

After working at the garage, Mr Mitchell and Sandra moved the family into the former railway station at Rushbury before returning to Church Stretton where they ran Newsworld newsagents.

Celebration

Mr Mitchell died aged 80 and a celebration of his life was held at Shrewsbury Crematorium followed by a service at Stokesay Church.

“We decided to ask people to make a donation to Severn Hospice in Dad’s memory to say thank you for the fantastic care support they gave to us,” said Claire.

“Donations at the funeral raised £670 and it was arranged that, as a family, my mum, sister and I came to Church Stretton to hand over the donations to Lynn Preece from Severn Hospice. It was lovely to be able to do that. We really can’t thank the Hospice enough for all that they did for Dad and for us”

Huge difference

Elodie Home, Severn Hospice’s head of elite giving, said that families such as Mr Mitchell’s made a huge difference to the charity.

“The support that we receive from the families that we care for is invaluable and we are proud we can be there for them. Making a donation in memory of a loved one is a positive way of commemorating a life and supporting Severn Hospice. Thanks to Mr Mitchell’s family we can be there for more local patients and their families.”