Family and friends of a former caretaker at Cardigan Guidhall Market have raised nearly £2,000 for a charity which supported him and them in his final months.

Ronnie Evans worked at the market for more than 30 years, and was well known for winding the town clock up every Thursday.

He sadly died in January aged 67 during the second year of his retirement, having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in July 2017.

“By Christmas he was bedridden with a very aggressive form of dementia,” said his sister Mandy.

“His condition changed from week to week.

“The mental health team put us in touch with Angela Powell at Marie Curie, for support not just for Ronnie but to us as a family.”

Ronnie’s identical twin Roy and Mandy cared for Ronnie at home in Cilgerran until May 2018, but during his final six months the family received support from Angela, clinical nurse manager of Marie Curie’s dementia service in west Wales.

“We had no idea that this service was offered for anything other than cancer care,” said Mandy.

“When you haven’t slept properly for days and you are caring for somebody 24/7, the backup offered by Angela either on the phone or by calling to see Ronnie was our lifeline."

In December 2018, the family’s friends at the Rampin decided to hold a port and cheese evening and auction in Ronnie’s honour.

“We would like to thank the many locals that made this night such a success, £1,500 was raised on the night,” said Mandy, who added that following Ronnie’s death a further £400 was raised for Marie Curie and £600 raised for and donated to Menter Aberteifi, which went towards the repair of the town clock and the Guildhall lift repair.

A plaque in his honour will be placed in the Guildhall courtyard, and a total of £1,905 has been donated to Marie Curie.

See this week’s South Ceredigion paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now