A woman who arrived in Lancashire with little more than the clothes she was wearing has gifted £5,000 to the renal unit at her local hospital.

Great-grandmother Jamnaben Tailor, made the donation in memory of her late husband Dullabhbai Tailor.

They arrived together to Preston in 1968 having fled Nairobi as part of the Asian exodus of Kenya following the country’s independence from Britain and the introduction of subsequent new laws that prevented many of the Asians living there, the majority of whom were from India, from making a living.

Jamnaben, now 89-years-old, and Dullabhbai had no money and their only possession was a suitcase containing some clean clothes but thanks to the help of friends they made within her community, Dullabhbai found a job working as a tailor at DT Jones in Fishergate.

The couple bought a home for £300, moving out in 1971 to live in Trower Street where they raised three sons and a daughter.

Dullabhbai was a diabetic and in later life, the disease affected his kidneys, which meant he had to undergo dialysis three times a week at the Royal Preston Hospital's renal unit.

The couple’s eldest son Ishwer Tailor MBE JP DL, who is president of Preston’s Gujarat Hindu Society, said: “The service he received at the renal unit was excellent. The care he received there was also excellent. “Since my mother became a widow in 1995, she has always wanted to make a donation to the unit in memory of my father.”

Mr Tailor added: “My mother finds herself in a lucky position to have an extended family and so with its help and the support of friends, she is still able to live independently. “She has seen all her children find apprenticeships and get married. She has six grandsons and three granddaughters and seven great-grandchildren. Yet when she arrived here, she and my father were penniless.”

Renal consultant Mr Laurie Solomon, who will decide on what the donation will be spent, said: “The Tailor family story is both fascinating and inspiring. It’s one that really resonates today with war in Ukraine and other parts of the world displacing people, who then have to rebuild their lives in countries thousands of miles from where they were born.

“I take my hat off to Dullabhbai and Jamnaben for embracing life in Preston and for this incredibly generous donation. I am currently canvassing the opinion of the renal unit staff team and current patients to decide how best to spend the funds. "We will be in touch with the Tailor family to hopefully welcome them to come and see what we achieve with their gift.”