THE 'tireless' efforts of a daughter's fundraising has helped turned a family's grief into a legacy for her father.

Rachel Neal, 29, has raised a staggering £5,500 in memory of her father Barry Newbold, who died suddenly in October while on holiday.

Retired carpenter Mr Newbold, who was 68, was in Majorca when he suffered a heart attack while eating dinner with his wife, Gill.

Mrs Neal, from Peachcroft in Abingdon, said: "At the end of the evening he had a huge heart attack. It’s horrible looking back. It was deep vein thrombosis so he would not have been aware of it. It was so unexpected."

She immediately flew out to Majorca along with her two sisters to visit her grieving mother and to bring her home.

At the time of the tragedy, Mrs Neal’s firefighter husband Phillip, 28, based at the Slade fire station, in Oxford, was gearing up to take part in the Oxford Half Marathon to raise money for the Firefighter’s Charity.

Instead, he decided to split the funds, giving more than £1,000 to the British Heart Foundation in honour of his father-in-law.

He completed the impressive feat in full firefighter gear and with a picture of Mr Newbold.

His efforts inspired Mrs Neal to start her own campaign of fundraising for the charity, a decision which culminated in a sold out quiz and raffle evening held earlier this month at Abingdon United Football Club, raising more than £5,000.

Mrs Neal said: “I decided I wanted to do something to raise money for the charity, so I threw myself into fundraising which saw me organise the huge quiz.

“Over 150 people attended, and we had to turn people away. I sold over 1,800 raffle tickets.

“I managed to secure 60 wonderful prizes from big names including Oxford United, Blenheim Palace and [appliance manufacturer] Miele, among many.

“The total amount I raised, including raffle tickets, sponsors and donations has gone over £5,000. I never expected to raise that much. Three months of tireless fundraising has paid off.

“A lot of the people who came were friends and family. My dad was very popular and likeable.”

Mrs Newbold, from Wilsham Road, Caldecott, Abingdon, added: "My three daughters were obviously grief-stricken when my husband passed away. Rachel is a bit of a tough nut but soft on the inside, and she threw herself into fundraising.

"I am incredibly proud and her husband Phillip as well after he did the half marathon in all his gear.

"That was very emotional for me to see him cross over the finish line, as it was only a week after Barry passed away.

"That is when Rachel decided to do the fundraising and her quiz night was brilliant, it was so successful.

"Her father would be proud."

Mrs Neal is now planning another raffle and quiz night to be held at the Abingdon United Football Club on March 24, the day before what would have been her father's birthday.