A 97-YEAR-OLD man said to have had a 'love affair' with hospitals during the last years of his life has left the East Lancashire SuperScan Appeal £50,000 in his will and pushed the fund over the magic £1 million mark.

Widower Albert Riley, who lived in a modest mid-terrace house in Mosley Street, Blackburn, died in March leaving an estate worth around £250,000.

After the death of his wife, Agnes, in 1991, Mr Riley spent much of his time in and out of East Lancashire hospitals and developed a fascination for the SuperScan Appeal.

Today Ian Woolley, chairman of Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, said: "When his wife died Mr Riley developed a love affair with local hospitals. He loved the staff and was fascinated by the appeal to raise money for a scanner, reading every report printed in the Evening Telegraph.

"He took an intense interest in this new machine and was amazed at the thought it was going to save lives and offer better health care for people in the area. He hoped young people would benefit from it.

"It really is an incredible gesture. To have such a wonderful donation at this stage of the appeal is quite unbelievable." A former joiner with Blackburn construction firm Ibbotson's, Mr Riley has no known relatives and left his entire estate to charity. His donation to the SuperScan appeal pushed the total to £1,017,485.

A member of the Church of the Saviour, Blackburn, Mr Riley was a keen dancer in his younger days, when he and Agnes would holiday in Blackpool and attend events at the town's Winter Gardens ballroom.

During his retirement, Mr Riley enjoyed playing dominos with friends and the group would organise their own competitions. Mr Woolley said: "Mr Riley and his friends loved playing dominos and even bought a trophy for one of their tournaments. When Mr Riley won he was supposed to keep the cup for a while and give it back, but he was so pleased he asked to keep it."

"He was a naturally friendly, dapper gentleman who seemed to love coming into hospital. His friends said he would have his bags packed for two weeks before.

"He first started his friendship with nurses at Queen's Park Hospital when his wife was ill and when she died shortly before Christmas in 1991 they asked him on to the ward for Christmas dinner. "We believe that this legacy was their way of saying thank you to everyone for showing such devotion to them when they needed it most. It was their wish that the scanner would give a big boost to the confidence of everyone involved."

Appeal Chairman Mike Trickett was delighted to hear the fund had topped the £1 million mark.

"It's wonderful news and I would like to give my personal thanks to everybody who has contributed in whatever way."

The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner was delivered to Blackburn Royal infirmary last month and will start to be used in the diagnosis of patients from all over of East Lancashire in July.

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