A West Cumbrian man has left £80,000 to the Great North Air Ambulance in his will.
Frank Barker, of Calderbridge, ran his own joinery and undertaker business and had a lifelong passion for motorbikes.
He died in February 2022 aged 92 but left a donation in his will for the charity, which totalled £80,872.32.
Mr Barker’s cousin Sally Ingall, executor of his will, recently visited the air ambulance’s base in Langwathby, near Penrith with her son Bryan to learn more about the operations of the charity and how the donation will help them in the future.
Mr Ingall said: “Frank was a very quiet guy and very modest. He was a countryman, enjoyed fishing, and went to the pub quite regularly for the company.
“He knew everybody around the area, and I didn’t hear anyone say a bad word about him. He was a big part of the village.”
Mr Barker spent most of his life in Calderbridge apart from two years’ national service with the RAF. He was incredibly close to his sister who was 14 years older than him, and his home was filled with several motorbikes.
Mr Ingall said: “His passion was motorbikes and always had been since he was a young man, after he came back from the RAF.
“He built a few classic race bikes which were used by a number of people, and he used to go to the Manx Grand Prix and TT in the Isle of Man.”
Mrs Ingall added: “When I was 16 or 17 he used to take me to the grass tracks and said I was the best pillion he ever had.
“He was a lovely fella, good fun and good for the craic because his age meant he could remember really far back.”
As a motorcyclist, Mr Barker was aware of the work of the air ambulance, who regularly respond to motorcycle incidents, and had previously supported the charity by buying tickets for their raffle and playing the lottery.
Mr Ingall said: “He was always keen on the Great North Air Ambulance because it’s quite close to a lot of motorcyclist’s hearts.”
Mrs Ingall added: “It’s nice to know Frank’s contribution will help the Great North Air Ambulance continue to operate. If the money saves lives that’s wonderful.”
The charity does not receive Government funding and must raise £8.5 million a year via public donations to remain operational.
