NORTHERN LEAGUE club Bishop Auckland have received a surprise windfall of £300,000 after a generous fan left the sum in his will.
Colin Rowell was an avid fan of the Bishops and left most of his estate to the club following his death in January aged 79.
He had been a supporter for more than 70 years and the club say they will name a section of its Heritage Park ground after him as well as scatter his ashes on the pitch.
Darren Brown, of Hewitts Solicitors, in Bishop Auckland, said: “Colin never married and he had no children so it was, perhaps, the natural thing for him to leave it to the football club that had given him so much pleasure over the years.
“After he died we found a drawer full of newspaper clippings about Bishop Auckland FC and the team's new ground at Heritage Park. Clearly, he followed them until the end.”
Club director Terry Jackson added: “This magnificent gesture gives us the opportunity to do some of the things around the ground we would like to do, as opposed to what we can afford. It's up to us to honour Colin's memory by making sure every penny is spent wisely.”
