HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to a dedicated fundraiser who raised more than half a million pounds for charity after losing her son to cancer. 

Iris Hanson, an 89-year-old from Laindon, died on July 30 after a battle with bowel cancer.

After losing her son, Paul, to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma aged 30 in 1989, she turned her grief into something positive by raising more than £500k for Cancer Research.

Her heartbroken husband, George Hanson, 89, described her as the nicest woman in the world “who would do anything for anyone”.

He said: “I am heartbroken.

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“Iris meant everything to me, we had been married for 68 years, and she was the only girlfriend I ever had.

“We have so many special memories, as we have done a lot together in our life, including jumping in a car and just travelling around Europe.

“I am looking at photos now, we have 42 photo albums of all our memories which Iris created.

“She would do anything for anyone, and it never quite sank in how special she was.

“But now she is gone I realise it, and I just hope she knows it too.

“I miss her so much, like so many people do as she was loved by everyone.

“I have now lost both my son and my wife to cancer, I am broken.”

George met Iris when they had just left school and joined a college in London.

After then getting together, and getting married, they moved to Basildon in the 1960s.

George said Iris raised the money for Cancer Research after Paul wasn’t able too.  

He said: “Iris started collections for charity when Paul had cancer, and he said at the time ‘when I am a better, I will raise money too’.

“Sadly, he couldn’t do that, so Iris did it instead.

She did everything she could to raise money for Cancer Research, including knowing door to door, putting goblets in all the shops, being at the race for life, garage sales and boot sales too.

“She even got an award when she raised £200k, instead of transferring it to Cancer Research, she had her own account with them.

“No one would even realise how much she did, Iris did everything for everyone no matter how big or small.

“She was a very special woman.”