A COLLECTION in memory of popular Swindon butcher Mike McGuire has raised nearly £3,000 for the Prospect Hospice whose Macmillan nurses cared for him at home.

Mr McGuire, who was 52, died in September after a three year fight against cancer.

One of the few family butchers remaining in Swindon, he was respected by friends and customers throughout the town.

He traded for many years in Havelock Street, where his wife Kathy runs a newsagent's business, and shops in the street closed on the day of his funeral.

"The total given in memory of Mike is a demonstration of how popular he was and how people felt about him," said Prospect's general manager David Line. "This sum is a wonderful donation."

Mrs McGuire said: "A bucket collection in Havelock Street alone raised £1,222.50 and I want to thank customers, fellow traders, friends and everybody who contributed in memory of Mike."

A year before his death Mike and Kathy were collecting memorial tributes in aid of Prospect for another Havelock Street trader, 32 year-old Merlin Gilbert who also died from cancer. He had been in business with his father at Peter Gilbert Cameras.

Mike McGuire, who held the title master butcher, had won many accolades over the years.

"He really loved his work," said Mrs McGuire. "He was a very sociable person and was very popular. He went through everything with great courage."

The couple had been married for 27 years and he also left two sons and a daughter, Darren, 26, Dean, 25, and 23 year-old Jackie.

He enjoyed a range of sports, including squash and golf, and fellow players were among the 500 people who were at his funeral at Kingsdown Crematorium.

His business is now being run by a former employee Richard Sell.

"Mike handed it over the day before he died because he didn't want me to have to worry about it," said Mrs McGuire.

"It is still managed by Paul Butcher who has been there for more than 16 years."