Tributes have been paid to a much-loved family man who raised more than £100k to help others after receiving a life-saving double organ transplant.  

Henry Smith of Bettiscombe near Beaminster, local farmer and health advocate, passed away peacefully, on November 15 aged 80.

He grew up on a farm near Shaves Cross before moving to Bettiscombe in 1994. 

At Harefield Hospital in London in March 1991, Henry was only the second person in the country to undergo a vital heart and kidney thanks to a generous organ donor. 

Since then, Henry and his family have gone on to raise at least £107,000 for a variety of charities including Dorset Renal Unit, Dorset Air Ambulance, Weldmar, Cancer Research, Julia's House and Harefield Hospital to name just a few. 

One method of raising money came in the form of the Smith's Family Ball which became a staple event in the west Dorset calendar across its 27-year tenure. 

One of Henry's daughters Ann-Marie Lawson explained how the sought-after event began: "We held a dance at the end of August/September time in the year that he had his transplant. 

"Then we started doing a dance at Broadwindsor Hall every March on the Friday closest to the anniversary of the transplant. It was always packed. 

"For the tenth year of doing it was decided to do a ball so the Smith's Family Ball started at Freshwater which was then held every year. The last one was only three/four years ago." 

The final ball was due to be held in 2018 but unfortunately had to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. 

Amongst his charity work, Henry had the pleasure of meeting Princess Anne and seeing Alan Titchmarsh at the Royal Chelsea Flower Show. 

He also endeavoured towards the set up of a dialysis unit at Dorset County Hospital, meaning that people didn't have to make the journey to Portsmouth for treatments. 

Ann-Marie thanked the many people who have gotten in touch with their kind words following Henry's passing. 

She said: "Three words that keep coming back up are remarkable, inspirational and miracle. It is so touching, my mum has had so many cards from people. People have been so kind. 

"We feel really thankful that we have had the time with him that we wouldn't have had if that donor family hadn't made that really difficult decision. 

"They were going through a really difficult time and they made the decision to help other people which we can't ever thank them enough." 

“Our family would like want to thank all the friends who have supported him through the good times and the bad. 

“We would also like to thank the Prince of Wales Ward at Dorset County Hospital and all the NHS staff that have supported and cared for him over the years." 

A thanksgiving service will take place for Henry at Candida and Holy Cross Church, Whitchurch Canonicorum on Monday, November 28 at 12 pm.