Haydn

Hadyn Williams was an extraordinary man. He would be very surprised that I should write about him in this way because he did not see himself as such. He was a Berriew man, and a Dolfor man in that he lived there for a few years. He did see himself in this way. Hadyn died earlier this year after suffering from cancer for two years, aged just 50. His will was published earlier this week. It caused quite a stir.

Hadyn was extremely successful in business, having founded Technocover with an associate, which was based in nearby Welshpool. He attributed much of its success to the efforts of local people and was always determined to recognise this support by sharing a lot of his wealth with local organisations. We do not know the extent of his generosity because it was unheralded and unpublicised. He just did it privately - but because I know most of the organisations he supported, so I've a fair idea of the magnificent scale of it. But his will was public.

Hadyn left £100,000 each to St Beuno's Church in Berriew, to Berriew Community Centre, to Berriew Recreation Association and to Dolfor Community Hall. He also left £250,000 to Cancer Research UK AND £20,000 to Pentre Llifior Methodist Chapel. I last saw Hadyn when he officially opened Dolfor Community Hall as he was nearing the end of his life. I was sitting next to his wife, Elaine at the ceremony and she told me that he had made a great effort to prepare for an occasion which would have been a breeze for him, had he been well. He was much into amateur dramatics and the Young Farmer's Club movement. I have been deliberately unemotional in the language of this post because the subject would have wanted it that way. He saw himself as being not extraordinary at all - which was the one thing about which he was most mistaken.