Fundraiser Sue Tucker was astonished when she received a surprise final donation of £9,000 as she retired from a hospital charity.

The donation was made at a party on Tuesday last week held to mark her 13 years of service with the Royal United Hospital’s Forever Friends Appeal.

Mrs Tucker, 63, of Monkton Park, Chippenham, said: “To be given so much money for the cancer centre on my last day was wonderful, the icing on the cake.

“I will miss meeting lots of lovely people and making a difference at the hospital.”

During her time as development officer she has secured several million pounds of support for medical equipment and facilities at the Bath hospital.

She has built many long lasting relationships, including with the Dyson Foundation. One of the peaks of her career was Sir James pledging £4m to help build an innovative new cancer centre, due to open in 2017.

The final donation of her career was raised by the History Makers of Bath, an outdoor exhibition celebrating the great men and women of the city. It was organised by Angela Calvert-Jones and attracted thousands of visitors in September and October this year.

Tim Hobbs, head of the appeal’s fundraising team, said: “Sue’s compassion and dedicated spirit has enabled her to build strong relationships with charity supporters.

“I know that one of her other lasting memories will be the role that the appeal played in helping to fund the magnificent premature baby unit here at the RUH.”

After 27 years in Chippenham, she and her husband Mike will be moving to Devon.