Cash for charity close to the heart of Padiham family is legacy of popular and much missed Brierfield mum and grandmother

A fundraising page set up in Dorothy Crowther's name raised £1,020 which will be donated to the British Heart Foundation. Dorothy's family, including her only daughter Janet Crowther Hindley, chose the charity as there is a history of heart disease in the family.

Among the generous donaters were Burnley and Pendle taxi firm Delta, whose drivers held a whip round and collected £300. And the money will be Dorothy's lasting legacy as it will stay in East Lancashire and be used to buy vital equipment.

Well wishers came forward with donations after the being touched by the tragic and shocking circumstances surrounding Dorothy's death.

Police were called after it appeared that Dorothy's husband, Walter had been duped by opportunist thieves who entered the couple's Walter Street home while Dorothy lay dying upstairs.

CCTV images, which were shared over 2,000 times on social media, show Ronald in the street knocking on neighbours' doors at 3am in a bid to get help after Dorothy fell ill. The footage showed him going back inside and seconds later the thieves arrive on the scene.

In a cruel twist of fate as Ronald opened the door to come out of the house again the couple are stood there so he asked for their help to ring an ambulance. They told him they would, but as Ronald went upstairs to be with Dorothy the pair, who have since appeared in court charged with burglary, entered the property and it is believed they took cash and a voice activated iphone which Ronald used to ring his daughter.

A neighbour later went to the couple's aid and performed CPR on Dorothy, who was 84, in an unsuccessful bid to revive her.

Two months later, while coming to terms with the death of his wife of 65 years, Ronald spent two weeks in the Royal Blackburn Hospital after he tested positive for the coronavirus.

He was rushed to hospital after collapsing at his daughter's home in Padiham where family had been taking care of him.

The family were not able to say their final farewell to Dorothy until December and dozens of people stood in the street to pay their respects to her as the cortege made its way through Brierfield town centre.

The devoted and well known couple had lived in the same home, that belonged to Dorothy's parents, all their married life.

Grandparents to Sarah and Ben they also have three great grandchildren, Grace (12) eight-year-old Olivia who are Ben's daughters and Sarah's little boy Harrison who is four.

After he was blinded in a works accident in the 1970s former dinner lady Dorothy had devoted her life to taking care of Ronald. Popular and well liked in the community, the Crowthers were even voted as the 'Best Couple in Brierfield' 10 years ago.

Janet, who lives with her husband, Steve, has thanked everyone who has supported the family through the past few months, including friends, neighbours, Delta Taxis, who took mourners to Dorothy's funeral free of charge, Burnley CID and Luke Berry and his colleagues at Helliwells Funeral Service who she said went 'above and beyond' to look after them.