A radio DJ is to hold a charity concert in memory of his son who last year lost a 37-year battle with a disease of the immune system.

Bob Hodson, better known as Ukelele Bob on Radio Cherwell, is staging a jazz night next month in memory of his son Neil, who had Crohn’s disease and died last summer.

The 57-year-old teacher was diagnosed at the age of 20 and died in June. He left behind his wife Louise, son Jude, 24, and daughter Flora, 22.

His 89-year-old father said: “He was one of the gentlest people who walked the planet.

“He was laid back, quiet and an introvert, but he’d do anything for anyone. And when he wanted to, he could be a great speaker.”

Neil Hodson grew up in Headington with his brother Dean and attended Northway Primary School and Cheney School.

He failed the 11-plus exam but went on to become one of the first two people in Oxfordshire to gain an A grade in both pure maths and physics at A-Level.

He went on to study maths and art at university and was working as a maths teacher in Keswick, Cumbria, until a few months before his death.

His father, who still lives in Headington with wife Margaret, 90, said: “I wanted to do something for all the people he knew in Oxford when he was growing up, and I felt he had to be kept fresh in everyone’s minds.”

He said: “So many people are affected by Crohn’s disease.

“It’s such a long-suffering disease, that affects both the families and the victims, so I just want to help.”

The concert is at the Exeter Hall in Oxford Road, Kidlington, on Sunday, February 13, from 7.30pm to 11pm.

Tickets will be on sale at the door for £5.

All proceeds will go to to research into Crohn’s disease, an incurable auto-immune disease that causes the intestines to become inflamed.

It can lead to a breakdown of the immune system, making the sufferer susceptible to other illnesses.