Friends and family of award-winning Paraplanner Gary Tunstall FPFS CFP^TM, who died recently after a battle against cancer at the age of 41, have raised nearly £4,400 for the hospice which cared for him in his last days. 

Mr Tunstall, the former head of Financial Planning at London-based Financial Planning firm Cavendish Medical, died last month after a courageous two year battle against stomach cancer. Rather than flowers, friends and family asked for donations via Just Giving to St Michael's Hospice at Hornbeam Park, Harrogate, where Mr Tunstall was cared for in his last few weeks.

Donations have flooded in from family, friends and well-wishers including people who did not know him. His former employer Cavendish Medical has made a £1,000 donation.

Mr Tunstall's partner Tina Gellie said Gary would be embarrassed by all the attention but very pleased at the amount raised.

One of his last wishes's was for donations to the hospice to thank them for their kindness and care.

Other industry colleagues have left tributes on Just Giving to Mr Tunstall including leading Financial Planner Ruth Sturkey of The Red House who said: "I recruited and worked with Gary about 12 years ago...loved his droll sense if humour and that he was bloody good at what he did. So sorry you have lost him so soon. Thinking of you all x."

Another leading Financial Planner, Andrew Brook Dobson of Brook Dobson Brear, wrote: "Very sad to hear of Gary's passing. The thoughts of all of us at BDB are with you all (Tina, Fiona, Fraser, Alice and the rest of the friends and families) at this time."

The JustGiving page dedicated to raising funds for the hospice is at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/garytunstall

Mr Tunstall had a long and impressive career in Paraplanning and Financial Planning, winning a number of awards including Paraplanner of the Year in 2011. At Cavendish Medical, a specialist firm which helps doctors and medical professionals, he was the firm’s first ever head of Financial Planning. He was known for his wit, dry sense of humour, enthusiasm for Paraplanning and helping colleagues. 

Read a full tribute to Gary Tunstall here http://bit.ly/2wFryDo

Prior to working for Cavendish, he worked at Cathi Harrison’s Para-Sols, an outsourced Paraplanning business. He was instrumental in helping the company grow rapidly and staff there have renamed their rest area the ‘Tunstall Arms’ in his honour.

At Cavendish Medical he went on extended medical leave at the end of 2016 and colleagues held a ‘Gary Day’ when he left to thank him for his contribution to the company and to wish him well, not knowing if he would return.  

Mr Tunstall leaves partner Tina, ex-wife Fiona and two children, Fraser, 10, and Alice, 8.