A former housekeeper and cook at the Blackwell School for Girls, at Windermere, has left thousands of pounds in legacies to various churches and charities after leaving just over £1 million in her will.

Dorothy Kathleen Dobie better known by her friends as Kay left the residue of her estate to the Lake District Art Gallery and Museum Trust to "provide permanent endowment for the continued main-tenance" of the house and gardens at Blackwell.

Miss Dobie, who died last April aged 85, lived at Ghyll Head Barn, Cartmel Fell, for 40 years with her friend and former Blackwell teacher Jean McGowan.

She went to work at Blackwell just after the Second World War and despite leaving for a time to work as a cook at the new Cartmel Priory School she was present at the opening by Princess Margaret in 1958 she returned and took early retirement at the time of local Government re-organisation in 1974. In 1965 she had been appointed School Meals Organiser for Westmorland.

"She had been a significant supporter of the Blackwell project since it began," said Edward King, director of the Lakeland Arts Trust. "She was very much a part of the project from the early stages and helped us with information about Blackwell when it was a school and let us have photographs.

"During her lifetime she contributed towards the project and we named the herbaceous terrace after her and her companion Miss McGowan. It was a very significant gift and it was specifically left as an endowment and will be in perpetuity providing an income from the interest of the capital sum."

A big part of Miss Dobie's life revolved around Winster Parish Church where she served on the Parochial Church Council and was treasurer and secretary for many years. She remembered the church in her will and left £5,000 to the Winster Parish Church Trust Fund.

Canon William Greetham, priest-in-charge of Winster Church, described Miss Dobie as being "a delightful lady" and recalled that the church was "absolutely full" for her funeral.

"We are very grateful for all that she has done for Winster Church and for remembering us in this way," he said.

Miss Dobie also left £5,000 to the St John's Hospice, Lancaster; £5,000 for the Burford-based Blue Cross charity; £5,000 to the British Deaf Association; £5,000 to the Royal National Institute for the Blind; £5,000 to Animal Rescue Cumbria (Kapellan), based at Grayrigg; £1,000 to St Mary's Parish Church, Allithwaite; £1,000 to the Salvation Army; and £3,000 to St John's Parish Church, Llanystumdwy. She also remembered staff at the Old Vicarage nursing home, at Allithwaite, where she stayed in later life leaving £3,000 to be shared out.

"Although I did not know the lady personally, I am very grateful to her," said Dorothy Schofield, the manager of Kapellan. "The money will go towards the running of the Wainwright shelter here. All charities are suffering with the current stock market problems. Any additional help that we get is desperately needed. Our vets' fees a month are over £1,000 for urgent treatment."

April 11, 2003 10:31