2:30pm Tuesday 9th February 2010
By Jen Rivett
THE family of a man who died in an Oxford night shelter is asking for help to piece together his last movements.
Alan Hedges died in December, and now his niece, Karen Bannister, who last saw her uncle in August, wants to find out why he ended up in Oxford.
The former production engineer was born in Hannington, Wiltshire, and had a bungalow in Highworth, near Swindon.
Mrs Bannister, also from Highworth, said: “We just want to try to piece together the last year of his life.”
Father-of-one Mr Hedges was diagnosed with breast cancer fours years ago and later went on to develop lung cancer.
He is thought to have died from pneumonia in a hostel in Oxford. The 67-year-old moved out of his home in Highworth, which he had owned for more than ten years, while it was being refurbished in the summer.
He stayed in various bed and breakfasts in the Wiltshire area, before moving to Witney in October, where he stayed at the Red Lion Hotel, in Corn Street.
Mr Hedges, who may have also suffered from Alzheimer’s, is thought to have stayed in Carterton as well.
However, Mrs Bannister does not know how he came to be in a homeless shelter in Oxford. She said: “He seemed to have died penniless in a place in Oxford.
“I am trying to get anybody who spoke to him where he stayed to contact me. I just want to try to find out why he was in the Witney area.
“The fact that he was living in a pub and then in a homeless place in Oxford did not really help his mental health or physical health at all.”
Mrs Bannister believes her uncle befriended people while he stayed in Witney and enjoyed talking about his 23-year-old daughter and an around-the-world cruise he was planning.
l Anyone who has any information about Mr Hedges, should contact the Witney Gazette, on 01993 773133, or send an email to witney@witneygazette.co.uk
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