A QUIET man who decided to hand over a fortune to help his village, but insisted on remaining anonymous, has been named at last, ten weeks after his death.

Retired estate agent Wilfred Barker, a bachelor who lived alone, gave £10,000 to help good causes in Gainford, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, and promised to leave more in his will.

Following his death, at 96, the trustees who look after the money have issued a tribute to him, to inform the public of who the secret benefactor was.

Mr Barker bought a bungalow at Waters End, Gainford, in 1969. The tall, upright man regularly walked around the village, always immaculately dressed in suit, collar and tie, but never took part in local activities.

In 1989, he contacted Brian Blackburn, secretary of the village hall, saying he wanted to donate to village life. He gave an initial £100 to set up the Gainford Parish Charitable Trust, and later donated £10,000.

Mr Blackburn, who is chairman of the trust, said yesterday: "He was an extremely private man, who did not get to know many local people. But he loved the village and enjoyed walking around it. He told me he wanted to hand out money as long as he remained anonymous.

"He reserved a plot in the village churchyard because he wanted this to be his resting place.

"He called me in not long before he died, and gave me details about his life for an obituary, so after waiting some weeks we decided to make them public."

Two other people have each donated £1,000 to the trust. The trust still has £11,000.

Donations have been given to the local Scouts, luncheon club, surgery, playgroup, school, tennis coaching and village hall, which got £4,000 towards a heating system.

Mr Blackburn said: "His money has already done a lot of good in the village. The hall would have been in great difficulty without the £4,000, so he has made a big impact on local life."

Mr Barker, who died on February 19, promised to leave the trust a sizeable sum in his will.

But there are also bequests to nephews and nieces and it is expected to be several months before the actual amount is settled. Officials of the trust are now seeking permission to have his name included in its title.

Mr Barker was born in Darlington. On leaving school at 15, he joined Freeman's Solicitors. He became a managing clerk before joining the fire brigade in 1938. He left the fire service in 1945 and set up a business in Garden Street, Darlington, as an estate agent, auctioneer, valuer and claim assessor. He retired at the age of 71.