A true philanthropist and a gent (From The Northern Echo)

A true philanthropist and a gent

5:39pm Friday 20th January 2012 in County Durham Community Foundation By Barbara Gubbins

This week we have lost one of the UK's leading philanthropists. Sir Tom Cowie spent most of his life giving back to the area where he started his business and the community in which he lived, and was a great example to those that followed.

So many community groups and educational establishments in Sunderland have hugely benefited from the generous gifts he made to improve opportunities for young people. However, he also supported projects in Durham, particularly in Lanchester and Derwentside where he chose to live.

He was a force to be reckoned with in the business world but with a very soft heart when it came to helping those with a disadvantage.

RIP Sir Tom Cowie. You deserve every accolade.