A GENEROUS Huddersfield man has left £40,000 to a number of good causes in his will.

Mr John Sykes, who died last September aged 80, gave sums of £5,000 to Kirkwood Hospice at Dalton, Netherton Methodist Church, the Leeds- based British Epilepsy Association and the RNIB.

He also left £10,000 to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and British Heart Foundation. He left estate valued at just over £1m.

Mr Sykes was educated at Holme Valley Grammar School, Honley.

He went on to study law and history at Queens College, Cambridge.

During his career as a librarian, he worked in Walsall, Liverpool and Bradford. He specialised in art history and historic buildings.

He supported a number of good causes throughout his lifetime, including the National Trust.

Mr Sykes remained unmarried.

Kirkwood Hospice's fundraising manager Annabel Arkless said: "We are delighted when anybody chooses to support the hospice by making a gift in their will."

Paul Tranter, fundraising manager for Epilepsy Action, said: "This legacy will help Epilepsy Action provide information and advice to people with epilepsy and their families.

"As a charity that relies almost entirely on voluntary income, a legacy like this means a great deal to us."