An 87-year-old has become a YouTuber to raise money for charity in memory of his late wife.

Tony Fuller, from Chideock, has started reading his 300 plus poems on YouTube in a bid to raise money for Weldmar Hospicecare. He has been a keen poet since the age of 10 and poetry is providing a lifeline for him at the moment.

He lost his wife, who he had known for nearly 50 years, on March 9 after she spent nine weeks in Weldmar’s Joseph Weld Hospice, and this is his way of saying thank you to the team there.

Mr Fuller said: “My wife was so well cared for during her nine-week stay at Weldmar Hospice and I know they only survive on public donations. I wanted to help in some way to say thank you by raising money for them during this difficult time.

“I write a lot of poetry and have had four books published so my idea is to read the poems on YouTube and any money that is made will go straight to Weldmar. My friend showed me how to do it and now I find it quite easy.

“So far, in four weeks, I have had over 1,000 views with a number of them subscribing. Until there are enough subscriptions to generate money through advertising, I am trying to fill that gap with a Just Giving page where people can donate.

“My poems will continue to raise funds after I am no longer here.”

Mr Fuller is full of praise for the Weldmar Hospicecare team.

He said: “It was the best time we’d had for a long time. I was able to be Pam’s husband again, instead of her carer. They looked after both of us wonderfully, they even made sure I had a proper meal, which made a world of difference as I was at home on my own.”

Pam had been an active member of the local WI for a number of years and Mr Fuller recalls something that happened during her stay at the hospice.

“The WI decided to hold their meeting at the hospice,” he said. “The staff made it possible for this to happen in the orangery, so all the members trooped in, and Pam was able to be part of the meeting from her bed.”

Mr Fuller continues to be cared for by Weldmar Hospicecare’s family support team, speaking to Emma Weston, the bereavement and counselling lead, who has encouraged him to turn his love of poetry into a project.

He said: “Poetry allows me to express myself in a way that I can’t do if I’m just talking to someone. I can talk about my feelings and thoughts and it gives me so much freedom.”

Mr Fuller’s YouTube channel can be found by searching for Percival Fuller on the site.

To donate to the Just Giving page, visit https://bit.ly/30ua7nQ