A SECRET millionaire who made an anonymous donation of £1.78 million to a cancer hospital, was a 101-year-old retired pharmacist, The Bolton News can reveal.

John Parr, known as Jack, from Westhoughton, made the gift to bosses at Manchester's Christie Hospital in June, 2005, to mark his 100th birthday.

He gave them shares he bought in the mid 1980s for just £5,000.

When hospital chiefs cashed them in, they discovered his shares were worth £1.78 million.

Mr Parr, described as a true gentleman by friends, insisted his donation should remain a secret because he wanted no recognition for his gesture.

But details of his generous gift were revealed by close friend, Harold Edge, after Mr Parr's death.

He died earlier this month, aged 101, following a fall.

Toni Leden, director of appeals at Christie Hospital, met Mr Parr for the handover of his donation.

He said: "Myself and the team at Christie's were extremely saddened to hear that Mr Parr has passed away. His donation was by far the biggest ever personal gift the Christie Hospital has received and his legacy will live on for many years to come helping patients.

"The money has been used to refurbish Ward 4, which was badly in need of modernisation. Thanks to Mr Parr's donation we were able to transform it into a state-of-the-art ward with separate four-bedded bays with bathrooms and comfortable accommodation which has meant a huge improvement for patients.

"Mr Parr was a very modest and dignified man and we were overwhelmed at a generous act.

"It was a great privilege to be able to meet him face to face, to thank him for the donation and tell him how much it meant to the Christie Hospital and its patients. I certainly will never forget his amazing generosity."

Mr Parr accrued the fortune through a £5,000 investment in East Surrey Water Company shares more than 20 years ago.

The centenarian, formerly of Park Road, Westhoughton, lived in a nursing home towards the end of his life and died in hospital, on March 10, a week after breaking his hip in a fall.

He was the former owner of McCallister Chemist - now Rowland's Pharmacy - in Market Street, Westhoughton.

Mr Edge, aged 81, who took over the business from Mr Parr in 1956, said: "He was a real gentleman and very, very generous, but he always liked to remain anonymous. He was my mainstay, we were a godsend to each other.

"His life was the pharmacy - it was his job and his hobby and even when I took over he would come in most days to check on progress. He was a great friend."

Mr Parr took over the pharmacy in the 1930s and ran the business for more than 20 years.

He lived in Park Road with his wife, Doris, for more than 60 years, until she died about eight years ago. The couple did not have any children.

Linda Andrews, manager of Rowlands Pharmacy, in Captain Lees Road, Westhoughton, knew Mr Parr for more than 30 years.

She said: "He used to come in and do our books with his little pet dog sat at the table. He was a real old-fashioned gentleman who believed in traditional service and knew all his customers."