WHEN Tom Bowdidge was diagnosed with a rare stomach cancer, he told his family he wanted to set up a charity.

In the months before he died, aged just 19, Tom somehow raised more than £175,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust before he died.

Seven months ago, on what would have been his 20th birthday, his parents Richard and Nikki Bowdidge made sure Tom’s remarkable legacy continued by launching the Tom Bowdidge Foundation.

Mr Bowdidge said: “The idea came about because that was all he wanted to do.

“He said, ‘I don’t want to go to university, I’m going to set up my own charity’.

“We followed through with it because he is no longer here to do it for himself.”

Tom, a former Colchester Royal Grammar School sixth former was at work in the summer of 2012 when he collapsed.

Doctors initially thought he had appendicitis, but less than 24 hours later, he was told he had a rare stomach cancer.

Mr Bowdidge recounts a story of the family driving home from London after Tomhad been given some bad news.

He said: “All the way home, all he talked about was his plans for the charity.

“His plan was to have cancer survivors running it and cut out the middle man.

“He would raise the money and he would decide where the money went.”

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